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The drama-filled life of a mom of 3 girlsTue, 10 Mar 2015 03:07:52 +0000en-UShourly1Parenting a Tween… with cancerhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/parenting-a-tween-with-cancer/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/parenting-a-tween-with-cancer/#respondTue, 10 Mar 2015 03:01:25 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12840The terrible 2’s? No problem, got that down. The toddler and preschool years weren’t fun at times, but little ones can be manipulated into doing just about anything and if you’re really good, they even get excited about it too.
Moody teenage daughter? Check. But even she pales against the attitude that we get from her [...]

The terrible 2’s? No problem, got that down. The toddler and preschool years weren’t fun at times, but little ones can be manipulated into doing just about anything and if you’re really good, they even get excited about it too.

Moody teenage daughter? Check. But even she pales against the attitude that we get from her 12-year-old sister.

To be fair, Hannah is not an attention-seeker, in fact quite the opposite. So she isn’t overtly dramatic. It’s just the quiet steadfastness which gets frustrating, especially when we see her personality shine but she hides it from others.

As with parenting smaller kids, it’s still all about control. We have it, she wants it, and therein lies the crux of it all. When she gets her own way, she is all sweetness and light. But if not… Grouchy bear time.

And she works it so hard – takes everything just as far as she possibly can to push all of our buttons. No bedtime kisses anymore and doles out a hug only on her own terms…

We look for the balance between letting her have at least a semblance of control wherever we can, and making sure that she’s respectful and cooperative when she needs to be.

It’s not always an easy thing.

Especially when life throws a major medical wrench into the middle of your tween’s life and that teensy bit of control that she once enjoyed goes mostly out the window.

Suddenly she has almost no control whatsoever over massive portions of her life. And there’s nobody she can blame – it’s not our fault, not the doctors’ and nurses’ faults either.

But we are all the ones here – the ones she can take out her frustration on. Except that she rarely shows frustration. I wish she would.

Instead, she gets quiet. Doesn’t want to answer questions or talk to anyone except in shrugs and nods whenever asked by someone in the medical profession.

I get it. I know how much she just wants everything to be normal again. The old normal, where she’s not pulled out of school for hours or days to be poked, prodded and port-accessed. Where she can simply be a moody tween girl and not stand out from a classroom full of other moody tweens.

Nowadays, she stands out. By the hats she wears 24/7 to cover her balding head. The weight loss and pale skin. Sores, blisters and who knows what else to come. They all cry out ‘cancer!’ to everyone who sees her.

So she keeps control wherever she can. And there’s so little of it she has that we give her more leeway than we normally would. Is she respectful? Sort of, within reason. Cooperative? Not always and only as much as she absolutely is forced to be.

Another parent said something on Facebook that resonates with me. I can’t remember who. But it went something like that the true face of childhood cancer isn’t only the smiling bald kids that you see on posters and billboards. The public almost never sees the pain, the frustration, the messiness, the stress and loss of control that are what a child fighting cancer has to deal with on a regular basis. And when you throw tween or teen hormones into the mix… It’s not pretty. Not at all.

I hope that someday Hannah will be able to open up. If not to me, then to another trusted adult in her life. And at the end of all of this, that she’ll be a stronger person for having endured it. Some days, I have to hold onto those hopes and dreams that we have for her when she is driving me crazy and making me want to pull my own hair out.

Then again, I guess driving us crazy is her job. And in that respect, she is still a normal tween girl.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/parenting-a-tween-with-cancer/feed/0Reflections from the hospitalhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/reflections-from-the-hospital/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/reflections-from-the-hospital/#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 05:14:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12822I feel like 2015 is going by in a blur so far. Two months ago today our world as we knew it completely changed, when we heard the words, “there was something of concern on her CT scan.” Surgery, then the dreaded phrase, recurrence of tumor. One month ago today our ‘new’ normal began as [...]

I feel like 2015 is going by in a blur so far. Two months ago today our world as we knew it completely changed, when we heard the words, “there was something of concern on her CT scan.” Surgery, then the dreaded phrase, recurrence of tumor. One month ago today our ‘new’ normal began as Hannah was admitted for her first round of chemotherapy.

A few moments of 2015 truly stand out, but most of them have blended into one another as we now look at time in chunks of ‘between hospital stays’ rather than weeks or days. I can only look as far ahead as the next admission – what we need to do in order to make it to, plan for, and get through. Each discharge is only cause for celebration in that it means we can go home, “until the next time.”

I feel caught between two worlds – the moment I walk into her new hospital room everything that happened since the last stay fades away. And as soon as we walk into the house, the ‘real world’ of laundry and dishes and school and work and bills and pets and everything else suddenly comes into focus.

My brain automatically prioritizes everything in terms of either Hannah-related or everything else. In 2014, I felt as if I were a fairly organized person. I juggled kids, home, family and work in a competent fashion, with only minor hiccups here and there. Nowadays? I’m lucky if a piece of information stays in my head for longer than 5 minutes.

My husband doesn’t understand why I have to stay at the hospital every night that she is here. I can’t explain it easily, but she is my child and I am her mom and when she is hooked up to tubes that are pumping toxic chemicals throughout the body that I carried for 9 months inside mine, I feel that I have to be here with her. Is that fair to her sisters? No. And I make it up to them as much as possible in between hospital stays and when they are here to visit. I know it’s not the same though. And when my 9-year-old is in tears because I won’t be at home with her tonight, my heart breaks and I want to tear myself in two so I can be there and here all at the same time.

Even though this year is zooming by, each individual day takes forever to get through. And each night I am left with a long list of everything that escaped my head and therefore did not get done so I add it on to the ever-growing list of what needs to be managed and handled tomorrow. Only to be faced with 20 new things that need attention when the new day comes, pushing everything else out of my brain again.

Everyone is being so wonderful, supportive and caring. But then I worry, am I being grateful enough? Thankful enough? I don’t want to need meals delivered or fundraisers held. And yet… I can’t imagine going through this without that support, because it’s difficult enough even with all of those caring hearts and souls helping out. And then I worry, how can I give back? How can I make sure that we deserve everything that is coming our way? How do I deal with the meal that was lovingly prepared that my kids try but won’t eat? With the well-meaning gifts that I know won’t get used?

This is a new way of life for us, one that we never asked for and would give up in a heartbeat if it meant that we could give the cancer back too. Because I suppose that is how we make sure we keep our heads on straight and show all those who care about us that we honor them and appreciate everything they do. We love on Hannah as much as she’ll let us. We make her laugh when she is feeling discouraged or sit with her when she is feeling ill. We badger her until she gets out of the bed and goes for a walk, or drinks another sip of water. I memorize blood count numbers and drug names and fight for her to get a finger poke instead of a blood draw, because she sees too many needles as it is.

Our family’s job is to get her through this, and I know we will. She will grow up to be a strong, healthy, vibrant woman with a deeper understanding of what truly matters in life and how to embrace others in the way that she has been embraced this year.

Tomorrow she goes home from the hospital again, the 3rd round of chemotherapy complete. But for now I will watch her sleep.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/reflections-from-the-hospital/feed/10The other ‘C’ word: Chemotherapyhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-other-c-word-chemotherapy/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-other-c-word-chemotherapy/#commentsTue, 27 Jan 2015 06:01:39 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12800Almost exactly two years ago, we got the diagnosis that scares the heck out of any parent – the big ‘C’ word. The funky-looking thing that had been growing on Hannah’s right knee? Was cancer. Which was terrifying. But while the surgery to remove her knee of any extra cancer cells itself was extensive – [...]

Almost exactly two years ago, we got the diagnosis that scares the heck out of any parent – the big ‘C’ word. The funky-looking thing that had been growing on Hannah’s right knee? Was cancer. Which was terrifying. But while the surgery to remove her knee of any extra cancer cells itself was extensive – and frightening – at least at the end of the experience, Hannah came out of it with scars, but no long-lasting effects. We breathed a sigh of relief and gratefully accepted the schedule of tests and scans to make sure that things stayed that way.

This time, as soon as I heard the word ‘recurrence’… I knew. The tumor had spread into her lungs, and even though it was tiny – we know it’s been in her bloodstream and there could be microscopic hemangiopericytoma cells elsewhere in her lungs – or anywhere in her body, for that matter. At this time, there’s only one treatment that works on cancer cells throughout the body – and that’s chemotherapy. The doctors confirmed the treatment plan the next day, and we began this process of what is slowly becoming our ‘new normal’ last week when Hannah underwent her first round of chemo.

My dad went through chemotherapy last fall, so I kind of had a general idea of what it entailed. But the plan for an 85-year-old with a history of heart trouble was very different from the plan outlined for us for an otherwise healthy and active 12-year-old. My dad was on a ‘gentle’ chemotherapy regimen – one treatment every 3 weeks, for 3 treatments. Nine weeks, with reassessment afterward and potential for another 3 treatments if needed.

Hannah’s chemotherapy regimen is much, much different. First, her chemotherapy treatments are given inpatient, not outpatient. And every 2 weeks. For 36 treatments. That’s 8-9 months (or longer if any treatments get delayed by illness, infection or her body needing a longer break). Each hospital stay is either 2 nights or 5 nights, alternating. On the ‘off’ hospital weeks, she still needs to go into clinic for an afternoon for blood draws, one additional chemo drug and eventually, blood transfusions as well.

The first treatment was a ‘short’ one – only two nights. This week she has her clinic appointment and then next week she goes in for one of the longer stays. We know more of what to expect now, so can plan ahead a bit better. I don’t think it’ll ever get easy, but eventually we’ll get used to it and it will all seem commonplace, I suppose. She is a good student and loves school, so I’m not worried about her being able to keep up. At least right now. Starting middle school next year will be a whole new challenge, but we’ll deal with that when the time comes.

Hannah has been a trooper through all of this. The lung surgery and recovery. And now the first chemo treatment. Tears have come, but only briefly and only a few times, when she found out that her new normal would impact things she loves. Like losing her hair. And missing library time at school every week. Otherwise, she has tried her very best to live life as close to her ‘old’ normal as possible. I don’t know how easy that will be once we get further into the treatment regimen, but at least for now, I know it gives her a lot of comfort to be able to still attend school, hang out with her friends and just be a 6th grader.

Her friends, teachers and the whole community have been incredible. I don’t even know how to put into words what their support has meant and continues to mean every day. From little things like promoting hand washing to the bigger ones, like making sure Abbi and Becca are fed while Ron and I are at the hospital with Hannah, or donating hats for Hannah to wear once she loses her hair… We truly are blessed and so grateful.

I know it’s going to be a long, bumpy road ahead and we’re only at the very beginning. Things are going to get a lot harder, but we will get through this. Hannah will get through it.

What have we learned so far?

Button-down pajama tops are the only good way to deal with IV tubes attached to a port in the chest.

Having to drag an IV pole everywhere you go, even to the bathroom, isn’t fun – but it gives you something to lean on when your feet aren’t quite stable as you go for a walk.

Giving injections to your child is much, much worse than if you had to give them to yourself.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-other-c-word-chemotherapy/feed/9Remembering Dadhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/remembering-dad/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/remembering-dad/#respondSun, 18 Jan 2015 03:06:52 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12782Three nights ago, my brother and I sat on either side of the bed across from our father in the hospice wing at Henry Ford Hospital in downtown Detroit as he drew his last breath. It was the end of a 7-month long journey as he struggled with diagnosis and treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma and over [...]

Three nights ago, my brother and I sat on either side of the bed across from our father in the hospice wing at Henry Ford Hospital in downtown Detroit as he drew his last breath. It was the end of a 7-month long journey as he struggled with diagnosis and treatments for rhabdomyosarcoma and over the past two months, acceptance that his disease was terminal. His passing was very peaceful and I feel grateful that I was able to spend his last hours with him and to say goodbye.

My brothers each spoke at the funeral yesterday and I was asked if I would like to speak as well. But at the end of a week that pretty much sucker-punched me, I couldn’t really formulate my thoughts to put together anything coherent, and speaking in front of others has never been easy for me. I do much better with the written word, and so now that I’ve had a chance to sleep and my brain has begun to work again, I wanted to write out what I would have said if I had been able at the time.

My dad was a very fun person to grow up with as a father. I can remember hours of hitting baseballs pitched to me and fielding my brother’s hits over on the baseball field at our local elementary school. As a traveling manufacturer’s representative he was gone a lot, but always bringing fun samples home for us to try out – mostly products that nobody ever heard of or remembers now, although someday my brother and I want to sit down and make a list of all the ones we remember… At various times he sold Zinka (colored zinc oxide like lifeguards put on their noses), the Aqua Scooter (a small engine with handles that would pull a swimmer through the water), Jobe water skies, Body Glove wetsuits, Croakies (eyeglass straps for sports, made out of wetsuit material), Banana Boat sunscreen, Floogles (inflatable water wings for kids), and too many more to name. The UPS truck was a common sight stopped in front of our house all while I was growing up.

My dad’s other business while I was a kid – the one that supported our family throughout most of my childhood, was his arcade game company that placed tabletop or upright video games in various restaurants and other locations. This was before and just at the beginning of personal videogame systems like Atari, Colecovision and Intellivision, which weren’t very common yet. The arcade games would often break down, so my dad would have to bring them home to fix – we always seemed to have something like Ms. Pac-Man or Donkey Kong Junior in our family room or basement, sometimes for weeks or months on-end. My brother got so good at Pac-Man with both his right and then left hands, that he started playing with his feet to make it more interesting. I will always remember my dad when I see an ‘old-fashioned’ game like Centipede, Galaga or Pole Position…

I get my love for electronics and gadgets from my dad, who always wanted to have the newest and coolest thing on the block. We were one of the first families I knew to have cable television when it first became available, and we had one of the first videotape recorders and cameras as well – a huge 3-piece system where the battery pack was as large as the actual VCR. I remember my dad hauling the whole getup around Disney World to capture our vacation on tape, and my friends and I spent hours writing, casting and filming our own movies in my living room. I wish more of those had survived – they would be so much fun to watch now.

We spent most of our summer days at ‘The Lake’, where we kids would swim, fish, play frisbee, jarts or volleyball and take rides in our beloved green speedboat, always driven by our dad. He taught my brother and I to water ski and later to windsurf, although I never quite got the hang of windsurfing. I don’t remember him ever swimming much – if he was in the water, he was generally tossing us kids up in the air, something which we adored and which probably contributed to back problems later in his life. He loved to spend most of our lake days listening to the Detroit Tigers on his battery-powered radio, and I always think of those lazy summer days whenever I think of baseball games. Dad rarely missed a Tigers game to either watch on tv or listen to.

My dad’s true passion in life though, was bowling. My mom used to say that the only night of Friday night bowling that he’d ever missed was the night I was born, as I had the bad timing to pick a bowling night. The two of them bowled in that Friday night couples league for my entire childhood and even after my mom stopped bowling, my dad continued in that league and others. My brother and I practically lived at the bowling alley and I learned to add numbers while helping keep score for leagues and tournaments. To this day, I can add much better than I can subtract – as you never need subtraction in bowling scorekeeping. My brother and I bowled in leagues for many years as well, and often accompanied our dad to his Sunday morning Jewish men’s league where the main attraction for us were the free bagels and the possibility that there might be a lane open for us to bowl on as well.

When I was older, my dad added a new career to his already varied list – he pitched the idea of a weekly bowling column to the Observer & Eccentric newspapers that had editions for most of the larger suburbs of Detroit. He wrote stories and compiled scores from the local bowling alleys, week after week so that local bowlers could see their name in the paper when they had a particularly impressive score. This also gave my dad a media pass to the major sporting goods trade shows and he took my brother and I to shows in Chicago and Atlanta, where we walked around and tried to be inconspicuous as we were only teenagers at the time and certainly not ‘press’ as our badges indicated. My dad was well-known in the Detroit bowling community and in 2007 I proudly watched as he was inducted into the Detroit Bowling Hall of Fame.

As I grew older, my relationship with my dad became more difficult, as it seemed like we never really had much in common to talk about. I’ve joked with my husband that he probably had more conversations with my dad over the past 15 years than I did, because the two of them could happily talk about the Detroit Lions or Tigers for hours, while I’ve never followed organized sports. But he was always happy to catch me up on his latest crazy idea for an invention or find out how his granddaughters were doing. Kids, work, and busy family life kept us from visiting him as much as either of us would have liked, but we tried to visit once or twice a year.

My dad wasn’t always very lucky in love – he was married three times and raised two separate families, each time with a girl and boy born two years apart. My older half-sister and brother were each married and raising their own families while my younger brother and I were growing up. After my parents divorced, my dad remarried again and raised his youngest stepson through his late childhood and teenage years as well. It wasn’t until after his third divorce when my dad met the love of his life, whom he was with up until he passed away. She is one of the sweetest people I know and I am so glad that they had many happy years together before he became ill last summer.

Dad loved many things – drawing cartoons, skiing (snow and water), telling bad jokes and puns, sports, and saving money. He rarely ate somewhere that he didn’t have a coupon for, and spent many hours shopping at garage sales, proudly describing what great deals he got on things that he really didn’t need. He could always tell you which gas station had the cheapest prices. He was a former Marine (a World War II veteran who joined up at age 17, right at the very end of the war), a private pilot (who had stopped flying before I was born) and a Jewish man who was never very religious but still taught me to be proud of my heritage.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/remembering-dad/feed/0Hemangiopericytoma… againhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/hemangiopericytoma-again/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/hemangiopericytoma-again/#respondSat, 10 Jan 2015 06:49:39 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12757The past week has been a whirlwind of doctors, hospital, phone calls and a lot to take in and process. I still can’t believe how quickly everything has moved. Hannah’s surgery was just on Tuesday and now here, on Saturday night, everything has changed.
She did so amazingly with this surgery. We knew that she did [...]

The past week has been a whirlwind of doctors, hospital, phone calls and a lot to take in and process. I still can’t believe how quickly everything has moved. Hannah’s surgery was just on Tuesday and now here, on Saturday night, everything has changed.

She did so amazingly with this surgery. We knew that she did NOT want to be there but we could also tell that she knew how important it was and that she had to cooperate. She still wasn’t very talkative with the doctors or nurses, but at least she did everything they asked of her. And she was so brave and strong… I’m glad, because she’s going to need that going forward.

The surgery involved two procedures – the first was an interventional radiology procedure that used the CT scanner to place two wires leading in to the spot where the nodule was, to lead the surgeon to the correct location. It’s not an exact science – and he couldn’t tell even after taking the samples whether or not he had the nodule. He was hopeful and there really wasn’t anything else they could have done to improve the chances any further – it’s just not an easy thing to locate. Thankfully pathology tests revealed that he did in fact get the whole thing, so that was very good news.

At the end of surgery, Hannah had two tiny incisions on her side and upper back – and one larger one where the scope had been inserted during surgery and the chest tube afterward. She came up from recovery connected with multiple wires and tubes, which was difficult to see, but she tolerated everything so well. Only a few times did she complain of pain – the nurses were very good about being on top of pain management. She spent most of Tuesday evening sleeping and then just wanted to play on her phone for most of Wednesday. They did two x-rays on Wednesday (one in the late morning and one in late afternoon) to see how her lung was expanding and to check for air leaks. She did so well that after the first x-ray they switched the chest tube over from wall suction to water seal, and after the second one they removed the tube entirely – and sent us home about an hour later. The nurses were shocked at how quickly she was out of there – it’s almost unheard of with a chest tube.

Like I said, she’s a trooper and a fighter.

Thursday and Friday were hard – we got the pathology results Thursday morning, that this was indeed a recurrence of the hemangiopericytoma that was in her knee in 2013. And then Friday morning after tumor board met, we got the news that Hannah will be undergoing chemotherapy, starting in a couple of weeks. We don’t have full details yet on what that will entail, but the entire regimen will last about 6 months with multiple rounds of chemo. She’ll be hospitalized for each round for several days and then home in between.

This was obviously not what we were hoping to hear, and telling Hannah was one of the hardest things that Ron and I have ever had to do. She has been growing out her hair for the past few years, so hearing that she will lose it was devastating. I will knit her as many hats as she wants, but right now she doesn’t want to think or talk about any of it. We’re giving her time to process before talking over wig/hat options.

We’ve had a huge amount of support from family and friends, as well as our elementary school and her teachers. We are so blessed to have them all in our lives. Hannah’s doctors are very optimistic that with the chemotherapy treatment, there will be minimal chance of further recurrence – the infantile type of hemangiopericytoma (which is what she has, even though she is not an infant), while rare, has been seen to be very responsive to chemotherapy so they are tailoring her regimen to give her the very best chance of living a normal and healthy life after this is over.

The next couple of weeks will be hard, but we are grateful that she will get to participate in the school-wide spelling bee and her first band concert next week – and that we can celebrate Becca’s 9th birthday together at home before Hannah’s first chemotherapy admission on the 22nd.

I know she’ll get through this – all of us who love and care about her will get her through it. Even though it breaks my heart that it’s necessary to do so. This was nowhere in our plans for 2015, but it’s what the New Year has brought us, so we will make do.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/hemangiopericytoma-again/feed/0Hannah surgery–round 2…http://www.momstakeonthings.com/hannah-surgeryround-2/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/hannah-surgeryround-2/#respondSun, 28 Dec 2014 06:56:08 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12748So here we go again… Sigh.
After her rather extensive leg surgery back in April of 2013 to make sure that all of the hemangiopericytoma tumor had been removed, Hannah’s follow-up scans have all been perfect, first at 3 and 6 months out and then every four months after that. In late May, her doctors felt [...]

After her rather extensive leg surgery back in April of 2013 to make sure that all of the hemangiopericytoma tumor had been removed, Hannah’s follow-up scans have all been perfect, first at 3 and 6 months out and then every four months after that. In late May, her doctors felt it was fine to go to scanning every 6 months – with the idea of trying to limit the amount of radiation she gets from multiple CT scans of her chest. So her latest set of scans was done on December 18th.

At her follow-up appointment last Monday, we found out that although her leg MRI still looks great with no sign at all of recurrent tumor, there was something concerning in her chest CT. When the radiologist compared it to her May scan, there was one teeny nodule that had grown. Any growth in the lungs is cause for concern and while this wasn’t huge growth, it is significant enough for the oncologists to take it seriously, especially given Hannah’s past history.

We don’t know what this ‘nodule’ is – it could be tumor, or it could just be a benign cyst. But the only way to find out for sure is to do a biopsy and test it. Since the thing is tiny to begin with, it makes sense to just go in once and remove the whole thing altogether.

So, we’re looking at more surgery – just what a 12-year-old girl with her very first band concert, school spelling bee and the winter volleyball season all coming up wants to hear… NOT. She wasn’t happy at all about this – her mood and cooperation level for anything at all doctor or medical-related has completely soured since her previous surgery and while I can understand that, I had a long talk with her after this latest set of scans because while we don’t need any level of enthusiasm (I don’t care if she gives me the silent treatment the whole time), we do need her to cooperate for tests and appointments. And now surgery again. And I know she does understand that. She doesn’t have to like it (I certainly don’t), but she does have to do what the doctors, nurses and radiologists need her to do.

This won’t be as extensive of a surgery and recovery as last time – while painful, at least she’ll be able to get up and walk around afterward instead of being stuck in bed for days and on crutches for weeks. We are hoping that the surgeon will be able to find the nodule with a scope – if he can’t locate it that way, he’ll have to open up a larger incision, which would mean a longer hospital stay and recovery time. We won’t know until he gets in there though, so we have to plan for either possibility.

Once they take out the nodule and test it, we’ll know what the next steps will be. If it’s something benign, we’ll just be looking at doing scans more often again for a while. If it’s tumor, well that will depend on what kind – whether it’s some of the hemangiopericytoma that spread from her knee, or something else. I’m not thinking that far ahead yet – just need to get her through surgery first and then we’ll deal with whatever comes afterward.

The girls and I are headed out of town to visit friends over New Year’s next week so surgery is scheduled for January 6th. Which means that Hannah will get less than a day of school after going back from winter break on the 5th, since she has a pre-surgery appointment that afternoon. Some kids might be thrilled with extra days off, but Hannah loves school so having to miss any of it isn’t something that she’s looking forward to. She’s a good student, so her teacher isn’t worried about her falling behind at all, but it stinks that she’ll miss the band concert and possibly the spelling bee. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for volleyball since that doesn’t start until later in January, but we’ll have to see when the time comes.

Right now she’s just wishing for snow since she got the (very basic) snowboard that she had been coveting for Christmas and after record snowfall in November, we’ve had practically no snow at all in December, which is very odd for here in west Michigan. Hannah is hoping to get in at least a few runs down our backyard hill before surgery, but we’ll have to see if Mother Nature will cooperate. So far it doesn’t look good. I went grocery shopping tonight and texted Hannah to ask if she needed anything at the store (she was at a friend’s). Her response – “SNOW?????”

I never thought I’d be hoping for snow so badly. I just wish it was something that Meijer carried.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/hannah-surgeryround-2/feed/0Tutorial: Paracord Candy Caneshttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/tutorial-paracord-candy-canes/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/tutorial-paracord-candy-canes/#respondTue, 23 Dec 2014 04:17:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12734When I was a kid, my mom took a macrame class (yes this was back in the early 80’s). She then taught me everything she’d learned and together we made everything from plant hangers to Christmas ornaments that year. I still have several of the ornaments and decorations that we made, and one of my [...]

When I was a kid, my mom took a macrame class (yes this was back in the early 80’s). She then taught me everything she’d learned and together we made everything from plant hangers to Christmas ornaments that year. I still have several of the ornaments and decorations that we made, and one of my very favorites has always been the macrame candy canes that I still hang on our tree every year. This year, I decided it was time to re-learn how to make them – 21st century style, as paracord candy canes.

Macrame cord isn’t exactly available at most local craft shops anymore, unless you’re looking to make curtain tiebacks. But what is all the rage nowadays and is extremely similar – is parachute cord, or paracord. I picked up some red and white paracord and a few other supplies, researched how to make a lanyard knot online, and was surprised at just how quick and easy paracord candy canes are. My girls and I have been having a blast making them as gifts this year so I thought I would share a quick how-to.

Supplies:

Red and White paracord (I like #350 for this but you could use a thinner or thicker cord if you prefer)

Wire (16-gauge works very well)

Scissors

Wire Cutters

T-pins or other type of sturdy pins

Cork or foam mat

Measuring tape

Lighter (with an adult to use it)

Steps:

Measure out a length of each color of paracord. I find that approximately 65-70 inches works well and makes a nice sized candy cane.

Measure out and cut a 9” length of wire (can be longer or shorter if desired, depending how long your want your candy cane to be).

Find the center of each cord and push a pin through both pieces of cord at their centers.

Push the pin into the cork or foam mat and arrange the cord in a ‘plus’ sign shape with one cord lying up-and-down and the other lying across side-to-side, like this:

Make a single lanyard knot. I found this tutorial to be very helpful with learning how to tie a lanyard knot – make sure you are doing the ‘single’ knot. In essence, you want the cords to be arranged like this:

Then pull the four ends tight (evenly) and your knot should look like this:

Make additional single lanyard knots the same way, making sure that you are continuing to always move the cords to the right, to ensure that you will have a spiral design as your paracord candy cane grows in size. Make sure each knot is tightened evenly before beginning the next.

After the second or third knot, insert the end of your 9” piece of wire in the middle of your knot, next to the pin. It may not stand upright at first but tighten the most recent knot around it and hold it in place for another knot or two until it will stand upright by itself in the center of your knot. You will continue to work up along the length of wire as you make additional knots.

Once you reach the top of your pin, remove the pin and the paracord candy cane from your cork or foam base. At this point it should be long enough to hold it either in your hands or (preferably) between your knees as you work.

Continue to work up the wire until you run out of cord. If necessary, trim any excess wire off the bottom of your paracord candy cane. Make sure that your final knot is nice and tight and then trim the excess cord on all four sides as close to the knot as possible. Don’t worry, it won’t unravel!

Have an adult use the lighter and hold each of the four cut ends of cord in the flame for a second or two in order to melt the nylon of the cord and seal the ends. You may also hold the flame over the very bottom of the candy cane, where the four cords cross in the final knot, to melt them together for an extra seal. Please use care when handling the lighter – the cord won’t burn easily but it may singe if you’re not careful. Only a second or two is necessary to melt the cord enough.

Bend the top (beginning) end of your paracord candy cane into a cane shape – the wire inside will ensure that it stays bent. Hang on your tree or elsewhere for a fun holiday decoration!

You can make paracord candy canes in a variety of sizes – smaller ones make a great gift decoration. Back in our macrame days, my mom and I each made a large one using thicker cord held doubled and ours still hangs on our front door every holiday season. This year the girls and I are sticking to somewhere around typical candy cane sized ones, although we do have a slight variety in sizes.

The thickness of the candy cane is determined by how loose or tight you pull your knots. I pull mine as tight as I can get them, while my 8-year-old daughter’s are fairly loose knots. Her candy canes still look great though – just a bit looser and thicker. It’s all in what you prefer.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/tutorial-paracord-candy-canes/feed/0Holy Orange Lego Batman, it’s the Robotic Wizards!http://www.momstakeonthings.com/holy-orange-lego-batman-its-the-robotic-wizards/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/holy-orange-lego-batman-its-the-robotic-wizards/#commentsMon, 22 Dec 2014 04:32:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12704For a family whose kids have really never been much into playing with LEGOs, it may seem odd that for the past two years, our October-December has been all about those little plastic bricks.
Or rather, about LEGOs + robots. Which equals First Lego League (FLL) – a robotics program for kids in 4th through 8th [...]

For a family whose kids have really never been much into playing with LEGOs, it may seem odd that for the past two years, our October-December has been all about those little plastic bricks.

The girls at this year’s competition/expo

Or rather, about LEGOs + robots. Which equals First Lego League (FLL) – a robotics program for kids in 4th through 8th grade. And Junior FLL, for the younger kids, through third grade.

The girls at 2013’s Lego League competition/expo

Last fall was our first experience with FLL, although the girls have had friends in the program for a while. Abbi and Hannah both signed up for FLL and Becca was ecstatic that our school district was starting a non-competitive Junior FLL program for 2nd and 3rd graders. We ate, slept and breathed LEGOs and robots for months, at least so it seemed. And had a learning experience when Abbi’s middle school FLL team (Shake, Rattle, and Roll) made it through our local regional FLL tournament to the state competition but Hannah’s team (the Solar Bears) did not. Abbi’s team competed at state and won a first place award for robot design.

Core Values display board

I love the FLL program – not only is it a positive and friendly way to compete, the kids have to learn robot design, simple programming and work together to research and put together a presentation that gives a solution to a problem faced in that year’s topic. Last year was “Nature’s Fury” and the projects all dealt with ways to help in case of natural disasters. This year’s topic was “World Class” and the kids had to come up with innovative, creative solutions in the field of education. There are two components to the FLL competition – the table runs, where the team’s uniquely designed robot has to earn as many points as possible on a board comprised of specific obstacles (all made of LEGO bricks, of course), and the three judging areas, where the team presents their robot and programming, and then their project and presentation in front of teams of judges. The third aspect of the judging portion of the competition is where the team has to work together to solve a problem that they’ve never seen before, using FLL core values of ‘Coopertition’ and ‘Gracious Professionalism’. This is the heart of First Lego League – working as a team, helping others (even other teams) so that everyone is able to compete on a level playing field, and cooperating with teammates, coaches, judges and fellow teams whenever possible to make the experience an awesome one for everyone.

The Orange Lego Batman ‘pit’ area

This fall, not only did the girls all want to participate in FLL again, but I also volunteered to help coach Hannah’s team at our elementary school. Her team was made up of six 6th grade girls, one 6th grade boy (who was unfortunately ill and missed most of the season), one fifth grade boy and one fourth grade boy. It was challenging but a lot of fun and I loved getting to know the kids better, especially since several of Hannah’s friends were on the team as well. After several weeks of voting, the team decided on the Robotic Wizards as their name (most of the girls are huge Harry Potter fans). One of the girls’ grandmothers made pointed wizard hats for the whole team to wear at competition, which really made them stand out and be memorable.

Abbi’s middle school team came up with one of the more interesting team names that I’ve heard in FLL so far – Orange Lego Batman. One of her coaches has a thing for the color orange, and as her team is mostly boys (just her and one other girl), well the Batman makes perfect sense. Abbi’s more of a Marvel fan than DC, but she’s now got a thing for Batman as well. The orange “I’m Batman!” capes that her team wore along with their team t-shirts were also a ton of fun.

Becca was excited about her second year of Junior FLL too. In the Junior program the kids are also divided up into teams, but they display their final projects at an expo instead of competing against other teams. The program is similar to the older kids’ though in that they do a research project based on a theme related to the general FLL theme for that year. This year’s Junior FLL theme was ‘Think Tank’ which also involved the field of education. The kids also design and build a LEGO model around their theme and the model has to include at least one moving part. Becca’s team decided to research ways in which people can study the ocean, and they called themselves the Saltwater Sharks.

The Robotic Wizards’ robots ready to roll!

Our regional FLL competition and Junior FLL expo were held the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It’s a day-long event full of robots, team spirit, and lots of LEGOs. Out of the 40-some teams competing, only 12 would go through to the state competition. I think it was one of the more nerve-wracking experiences I’ve ever had! Being a coach for Hannah’s team meant that I didn’t get to see much of Orange Lego Batman’s competition, but I had seen their project presentation already in practice and I caught one of their table runs that day. I also took Hannah’s whole team through to see all of the Junior FLL team’s displays – Becca was thrilled to show off her team’s underwater-themed model and their Show-Me board.

Hannah was one of the Robotic Wizards’ two ‘drivers’.

The Robotic Wizards had worked hard for weeks and their efforts paid off. Their robot design was very basic and simple. We had six total programs – four of which we knew worked well consistently and two that were hit or miss. If all went perfectly, we could have scored close to 200 points on the board, but of course all did not go perfectly during any of the team’s table runs. They did end up with a high score of 100, which we hoped would be enough to put them in contention for state. We were able to watch two of their judging portions – the teamwork challenge is always a huge secret so that nobody knows what to expect and so it isn’t broadcasted for parents or spectators to watch. The point isn’t to complete the challenge necessarily, but to work well together as a team while making a good attempt.

Sisters headed off to the state competition!

At the end of the day, both Orange Lego Batman and the Robotic Wizards made it through to the state competition, in 9th and 7th places respectively. Out of the 12 teams that made it through, 7 were from our school district – which was a huge accomplishment. We have a strong high school robotics program and the high schoolers act as mentors to the younger kids, so it’s awesome to see them all do so very well.

Riding the Huckleberry Railroad

The State FLL competition is a two-day long event for our local teams. The kids get to miss a Friday of school in mid-December, ride buses over to the other side of the state, explore a museum or other cultural attraction, stay in a hotel overnight (with a pool) and then compete on Saturday before heading home on the buses. It’s an amazing experience that is fun, educational – and exhausting. As a coach, I went along this year and we had a blast. I caught sight of Abbi only a few times – her team was on the other bus and at the other hotel, but I know she liked having the sense of independence as an 8th grader to be able to stay just with her team and chaperones. Hannah was stuck with me, of course.

Taking a selfie at Crossroads Village…

We spent Friday afternoon at Crossroads Village – a picturesque 19th century Great Lakes village all decked out for the holidays. We also rode the Huckleberry Railroad, a true steam engine train. The kids got to attend a short magic show, explore how folks lived and worked in the 19th century and use up their spending money in the gift shop, before we headed to the hotels and dinner. That night we practiced and the kids swam.

Congrats to Orange Lego Batman on their Gracious Professionalism award!

Saturday’s competition was very different from the regional tournament. These teams were good! We weren’t expecting to place at all, but were hoping some of our district’s 7 teams might win an award. Three of the teams did – including Abbi’s Orange Lego Batman team, which won first place for Gracious Professionalism. The Robotic Wizards didn’t earn any awards, but we beat our top table run score by 20 points and the kids all had a blast.

Going over the run’s score with the table referee

Lego League is done now until next year – and I know that at least one of my girls can’t wait, since Becca will be in 4th grade next year and able to compete in the regular FLL tournament for the first time. She’s already asked me to coach her team. Hannah will be in middle school and will have to choose between FLL or VEX robotics – she’s not sure which she’ll want to do yet. Abbi will be a high schooler (eek!) and too old to compete in FLL – but if she joins the high school robotics program, she’ll have the option to help out a FLL or Junior FLL team as a mentor. She loved every minute of her FLL experiences, so I hope she’ll stay with the robotics program.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/holy-orange-lego-batman-its-the-robotic-wizards/feed/1Include Healthy Essentials in your Holiday Traditions #Moms4JNJConsumer #adhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/include-healthy-essentials-in-your-holiday-traditions-moms4jnjconsumer-ad/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/include-healthy-essentials-in-your-holiday-traditions-moms4jnjconsumer-ad/#respondFri, 12 Dec 2014 04:48:07 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12672This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.
The holiday season is a magical time [...]

This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

The holiday season is a magical time of year in more ways than one. Kids realize that the countdown is on and that they’d better behave themselves to stay off of Santa’s Naughty List. Neighborhoods and communities glow with festive lights and decorations. Music is in the air – everywhere. And families come together to celebrate and spend time with each other, making memories and following traditions, both old and new.

Christmas season 2014 with Santa

Our family is no exception – Christmas is one of the regular times of the year when my mom and brother visit to spend time with us, and my girls always count down the days until they get here. We have other family traditions as well – we spend Christmas Eve making cookies from the same recipes that my brother and I used to make with our mom when we were kids. And my girls open up one gift each on Christmas Eve – always pajamas that they wear that night and during present-opening the next morning. Also on Christmas Eve every year, my husband sits down with the girls and reads ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas with them.

Last year’s Christmas pajamas

Some of our traditions have changed over time – up until my aunt died several years ago, my mom’s family always got together for dinner on Christmas night, first at our house when I was growing up, and then at my uncle’s house for many years afterward. I still miss seeing the family on Christmas and it really does not ever feel ‘like Christmas’ anymore without going to Uncle Bob’s. My girls’ memories of those get-togethers are very dim now, and I know they’ll remember these years with their uncle and grandmother coming to our house instead, as their family Christmas tradition.

Making cookies

My dad’s family is Jewish, and so when I was growing up we always celebrated Hanukkah as well as Christmas – sometimes concurrently, depending on when the 8 days of the Festival of Lights would fall every year. My memories of lighting the Menorah with my dad and brother are some of my most cherished holiday memories too. Since we got plenty of presents on Christmas, we always would get only two for Hanukkah – a ‘big’ one on the first night and a smaller one (usually a board game) on the second. I also light the Menorah with my own kids every year, and they open one Hanukkah gift each – usually books, which is what my 3 bookworms love most anyway.

My mom with me as a baby, celebrating Hanukkah & Christmas

Johnson & Johnson products have always been a part of my holiday traditions – everything from sticking Neosporin and Band-Aids on cuts after holiday gift mishaps or taking a couple of Motrin for the inevitable headache at the end of a very loud and boisterous day, to using Neutrogena cleansers and lotions to help look my best when getting ready for holiday parties or get-togethers. I recently received a box of Healthy Essentials products that will help make our holidays a little brighter this year and am looking forward to trying them out.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/include-healthy-essentials-in-your-holiday-traditions-moms4jnjconsumer-ad/feed/0The difficult decisions to make with aging parents… #CareConvo #sponsoredhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-difficult-decisions-to-make-with-aging-parents-careconvo-sponsored/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-difficult-decisions-to-make-with-aging-parents-careconvo-sponsored/#respondTue, 11 Nov 2014 05:44:35 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12654This is a sponsored post for the Global Influence Network. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family.
Tomorrow I’ll be spending the day with my dad and my brother. In other circumstances, this would be something to look forward to – and I do look forward to seeing [...]

This is a sponsored post for the Global Influence Network. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family.

Tomorrow I’ll be spending the day with my dad and my brother. In other circumstances, this would be something to look forward to – and I do look forward to seeing both of them, since I live on the other side of the state and only see them a few times a year normally. But the purpose of this specific trip is to help pack our dad’s belongings up, because this weekend he and his long-time lady friend and roommate, P, will be moving from their apartment to a senior living facility.

This move has been discussed off and on for a little while now, but became an absolute necessity earlier this autumn, when we discovered that the cancerous tumor my 85-year-old dad had been undergoing radiation treatments for all summer had spread, into his lungs. He began chemotherapy treatment several weeks ago and has been feeling weaker and sicker ever since. His roommate, P, is not in the best of health either – and is unable to care for him. In fact, until now he had been caring for her, as she is several years older than him and has struggled with what is either Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia for the past few years. Neither of them actually wants to move – they keep insisting that they are happy where they are – but with no support or amenities in their current apartment complex and very little family nearby, it’s gotten to the point where there is really no other choice.

When the idea of the move was initially brought up, it was as a ‘someday when they need it’ type of option, and the plan was to look into senior independent living facilities near their current apartment complex. My brother has taken the brunt of most of the physical work in caring for both of our aging parents over the past year, and he’s been in almost constant contact with P’s kids as well. My dad’s cancer diagnosis last spring brought with it the need for me to become much more involved and brought into the email discussions that were taking place. Trying to manage a parent’s care is not easy, and it’s even more difficult having to do so long-distance and/or with busy home and work lives. P’s daughter lives out-of-state, my brother is building a business from the ground up, and I live across the state and also have kids at home, all of which complicate our ability to get together in-person at the same time.

Searching for the best long-term care option was made easier for us by the fact that P’s family attorney recommended a facility where his own mother lives. It’s close to where my dad and P live now, and while it is an independent living facility, there are many services and amenities offered, such as on-site dining, concierge service, weekly housekeeping, and scheduled transportation for appointments and errands. There’s also on-site beauty/barber, postal, pharmacy and fitness services, which minimizes the need for residents to leave the grounds for routine errands. If/when necessary there is also an on-site nurse as well. It’s a good option that keeps them living independently together (for now) as they want, while providing support services that they desperately need. The decision was easy to make even before seeing the facility itself, although P’s kids and my brother took them on a tour of it a couple of weeks ago when P’s daughter was in town to help finalize the paperwork.

Although the decision was an easy one, convincing P and my dad that this is the best option was not easy. They don’t like feeling as if they don’t have a say in the matter or a choice in where they will live. That has to be a horrible feeling – to realize that you suddenly no longer have control over your own life. I’ve talked to my dad on the phone since the decision was made, but tomorrow is the first time I’ll see him in person since the lease was signed. He won’t physically be able to help much with the packing, and I know that having others go through his things will be hard on him too. I am glad that there’s a resource like the Care Options section of CareConversations.org, to help in making decisions about what type of long-term care is best for aging parents and to provide advice and resources about how to plan for this type of move as well.

My brother and I know that much depends on our dad’s ability to fight off this cancer and we are aware that if chemotherapy does not help, there will be many future decisions that will need to be made about his long-term care. We are hoping that he and P will be able to stay together as long as possible – they are very attached to and dependent on each other. Having them in a living facility that caters specifically to seniors will give all of us kids peace of mind (for now) as we focus on supporting my dad through his cancer journey.

Please join others who are interested in this important topic at the #CareConvo Twitter party with @Resourcefulmom on 11/12 at 8 PM ET!

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/the-difficult-decisions-to-make-with-aging-parents-careconvo-sponsored/feed/0Kids + Pets = Stink. But My House #SmellsClean Anyway. #sponsoredhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-pets-stink-but-my-house-smellsclean-anyway-sponsored/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-pets-stink-but-my-house-smellsclean-anyway-sponsored/#commentsFri, 17 Oct 2014 05:22:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12642This is a sponsored post on behalf of Acorn Influence and SC Johnson. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family.
Kids are smelly creatures, there’s no way around it. I remember the baby spit-up and dirty diapers of the early years, although our issue nowadays is the fragrant [...]

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Acorn Influence and SC Johnson. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family.

Kids are smelly creatures, there’s no way around it. I remember the baby spit-up and dirty diapers of the early years, although our issue nowadays is the fragrant feet and bodies of my adolescents, who as much as I try, just cannot be bothered to take the 30 seconds to put on deodorant every day (anyone got a solution for this one?). Add kids in sports to the mix and the house becomes even harder to keep fresh every day.

And then there are the pets, who add in the smells of everything from wet dog to used litter box… No matter how hard we try, sometimes it seems like we just can’t combat every bad smell all the time, and I hate having to sit and work all day in a house that, well to be honest, stinks. Sometimes pretty badly.

At least it used to. I really had never been one to use air fresheners very much, only fragrant candles here and there, but not even those since my oldest daughter was born since kids and fire definitely don’t mix. I tend not to like scents that are too ‘perfume-ish’ – I don’t even own any perfume and use only unscented products for our home and laundry due to allergy concerns. In fact, I generally have gone out of my way to avoid using products with scents, but what I didn’t realize was that all this did was leave our house open to every bad smell that then pervades the space, with no pleasant scents to combat them.

A few weeks ago, I received a box of air freshener refills from SC Johnson for their #SmellsClean campaign – a mix of specific brands and types, including candles, wax melts, and scented oil refills, along with a $5 Walmart gift card. So, I went shopping and did something I’d never done before – I found the air care aisle, stopped and actually looked through all of the options available there. The mix of styles and scents was somewhat intimidating, but at least I knew what I needed – a scented oil warmer from Air Wick and/or Febreze, and a wax melt warmer from Glade. And then I came home, well-armed to fight the stink.

The first spot I tackled, with scented oil warmer in hand, was my middle daughter’s bedroom. Hannah is the biggest culprit when it comes to smelly clothes piled up, and her room seems to be the dog’s go-to spot any time she decides that the house is a preferable bathroom spot than the backyard. Not that this happens often (the dog is generally very good), but when it does, Hannah’s carpeting is always her top choice. We clean spots as we find them, but we don’t always find them right away. So until we can replace Hannah’s carpet with hard flooring (it’s on the list), there’s always a pervasive doggy kind of smell in there.

At least there used to be. Now it’s actually the best-smelling room in the house. And the scent drifts down the hallway so I catch it from time to time in the living room or kitchen. It’s a fresh, clean smell – not perfume-ish at all. And we’re coming up to my favorite time of year scent-wise – Thanksgiving and the winter holidays… I’ll keep using the Acadia scent in Hannah’s room, but I’ve already got my wax melt warmer set up in the kitchen, ready for the Pumpkin Pie melts to make my kitchen smell as if I actually do bake in there from time to time (shhhh).

I know the stink isn’t gone of course – and we’ll do our best to combat it as always. One of these days, my girls will realize that deodorant isn’t optional, we’ll replace Hannah’s carpet and just maybe, the dirty socks will make it into the hamper before they hit the floor.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-pets-stink-but-my-house-smellsclean-anyway-sponsored/feed/1Woke up on the wrong side of the bedhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed/#respondTue, 07 Oct 2014 02:38:31 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12555You have those days too, right?
The ones when you don’t know exactly what’s wrong but everything and everybody just seems to rub you the wrong way…
Yeah, that.
I have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve had one of ‘those’ days, so I guess I was due. Or overdue.
I know I’m under a lot of [...]

The ones when you don’t know exactly what’s wrong but everything and everybody just seems to rub you the wrong way…

Yeah, that.

I have to admit it’s been a while since I’ve had one of ‘those’ days, so I guess I was due. Or overdue.

I know I’m under a lot of stress – both the usual for this time of year, and a few extra things that have popped up recently. So that probably has something to do with it. It’s also getting colder and drearier and my mood always suffers once the sunshine starts vanishing.

So much for everything that needed my attention today… The laundry remains piled, the dishes unwashed, and many emails unanswered. This post is about all I have in me right now, instead of the ones I wanted or needed to write today.

Sadly, there’s not usually a remedy for a bad mood of this sort – it’s necessary to just muddle through it and try to get a good night’s sleep, hoping to wake up on the ‘right side’ of the bed tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that will be the case this time because I have way too much to do tomorrow.

Which is why I’m going to bid you all good night and leave it at that.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/woke-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-bed/feed/0This kick…http://www.momstakeonthings.com/this-kick/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/this-kick/#respondSun, 28 Sep 2014 22:59:03 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12552Yep, this exact kick, caught on film (so to speak) for posterity.
You have to understand that this kick was a fluke in more ways than one.
I have never before seen my kid attempt to put any part of her body in front of the soccer ball during the eight seasons that she has played. When [...]

You have to understand that this kick was a fluke in more ways than one.

I have never before seen my kid attempt to put any part of her body in front of the soccer ball during the eight seasons that she has played. When she was younger, she was the one out in the middle of the field picking grass and staring at the clouds instead of paying attention to the game.

She took two years off from soccer when she was 8 and 9 years old, and tried softball for one season. After declaring softball, “too boring”, she decided to go back to soccer at age 10 and has played straight through up until this season – her last with AYSO since our region only goes up through U14 and Abbi will turn 14 next April. Since the U14 girls only play in the fall, these next few weeks are her last AYSO games. Ever.

Every season I’ve seen Abbi’s playing improve, but she is still not the most aggressive player out on the field. Not by a long shot. But she is enthusiastic, cheers (loudly) for her teammates, and tries her best at every practice and game.

Over this past week, something had energized Abbi – she came home from Monday’s practice raving about how she had “finally figured out” defense, which is her favorite position to play. And all week she had done something she’d never done before – practiced soccer at home on her own (or with Hannah, who takes no convincing at all to go out and kick a soccer ball around). We got to yesterday’s game in the afternoon excited to see if we would notice a difference in her playing.

And we did.

She sat out for the first quarter, but during the second quarter she got some playing in. She ran harder than I’ve ever seen her run before.

And when there was a corner kick by the other team near the end of the second quarter, Abbi got right in front of the goal with her teammates and did something I’d never seen or expected from her – she put herself in front of the ball as it flew toward her, and reached up with her right foot to block it.

This kick. Which has made me so very proud of her.

This kick – which on a completely wild fluke, ricocheted off of Abbi’s foot, flew back over the heads of both teams gathered in front of the goal, eluded the grasping hands of her team’s goalie, and scored a goal – for the other team.

Abbi felt horrible. We could see it in her face and her drooping posture, as she faced her teammates heading off of the field for the halftime break. Her coach gave her a pep talk, but as she sat out for the third quarter and watched her teammates play, we knew she was dwelling on it.

During the fourth quarter of the game, Abbi again played defense, and she played more aggressively than I’d ever seen her before. Her team still lost (5-1), but she told us later that she was trying to make up for “that which we will not speak of” from the end of the second quarter of the game.

We did talk about it – a little. Enough to tell her how proud we are of her for playing her very best and trying her hardest. Proud of her for taking a risk that she’d never taken before, and going for the block.

No matter the outcome, the fact that she put herself out there – makes me the proudest soccer mom ever.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GetAShot #CollectiveBias

Last week, I came down with a cold. Not even a horrible one as far as colds go – I’ve certainly had worse. But even just this ‘simple’ stuffed, runny nose, sore throat, cough and fatigue knocked me down for several days and I am still catching up on everything that got behind. But having a cold is a huge difference from coming down with something worse, like the seasonal flu, that can last for weeks. Which is one big reason why I stopped at Walgreens today to get my annual flu immunization.

I get flu shots for myself and my kids every year and strongly believe that these annual immunizations help to keep my family healthy and safe from the flu every winter. I have seen what it looks like when someone comes down with influenza – my husband and oldest daughter both caught it the year that we moved into this house and both of them were sick for a good couple of weeks, with additional recovery time afterward. I’m not willing to take any chances – getting a flu shot is a quick and easy thing that I can do to help ensure that I will (hopefully!) stay as healthy as possible this winter.

Normally I would get my flu shot at my doctor’s office, but this year I got the immunization at Walgreens, for several reasons. There’s a Walgreens close to our house, so it’s much more convenient than heading downtown to my doctor’s office – and I was in and out of there in about 20 minutes this afternoon. But the biggest reason that I went to Walgreens for my flu shot was because of their “Get a Shot. Give a Shot.” program. Yes, I am participating in a sponsored campaign for #CollectiveBias to help spread the word about this program, but it’s something I would do on my own anyway, because this is such a wonderful idea to help give to others simply by doing something I’m already going to do anyway. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

What is “#GetAShot. Give a Shot.”? It’s really exactly how it sounds. Now through October 13, 2014 – every time you get your immunizations at Walgreens (such as an annual flu shot), a child in a developing country gets a lifesaving vaccine through the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life program. It’s that simple to help save kids from diseases like measles or polio. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to vaccinate my own kids against these diseases, so it makes me happy to be able to help give the same protection to another mother’s child, somewhere across the world. Even though immunizations have made huge strides in eradicating these diseases, 1 in 5 kids worldwide still lack access to them.

But now there’s going to be one more vaccinated child out there – because I got my flu shot at Walgreens today.

7 MRIs. 6 CT scans. 2 surgeries. Weeks of crutches and physical therapy.
It’s been 17 months now since Hannah’s surgery to remove a hemangiopericytoma from her right knee last year. She was lucky, as far as cancer goes – her soft tissue sarcoma (tumor) was located near the skin, easily visible, and could be removed [...]

It’s been 17 months now since Hannah’s surgery to remove a hemangiopericytoma from her right knee last year. She was lucky, as far as cancer goes – her soft tissue sarcoma (tumor) was located near the skin, easily visible, and could be removed with a minimum of effort.

‘Minimum’ being a relative term, of course. There was a rather extensive procedure to rebuild her knee after the tumor was taken out, which involved moving a portion of muscle from her calf to her knee and taking a graft of skin from her thigh to cover the knee with afterward. There was certainly not a ‘minimum’ of pain or recovery afterward. I only say a ‘minimum’ of effort as compared to kids whose tumors cause them to lose limbs altogether or leave them unable to regain the motion and/or use of it that they previously had. I count our blessings every day that only a ‘minimum’ of effort was required for Hannah’s tumor.

Hannah was also fortunate in that her tumor was not immediately life-threatening, nor did her doctors feel that chemotherapy was necessary or would be effective in her case. And so far all of her follow-up scans have been clear.

Each year in the U.S. there are approximately 13,400 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age who are diagnosed with cancer. About one in 300 boys and one in 333 girls will develop cancer before their 20th birthday. In 1998, about 2500 died of cancer, thus making cancer the most common cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America.

But childhood cancer isn’t just about statistics – these are all real kids who get cancer, and not all of them survive it. Just last spring our school district was rocked by the death of a high school freshman who had a reoccurrence of Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. When Hannah was in the hospital following her surgery, we saw or met several kids whose lives had been interrupted and threatened by various forms of cancer, and not all of them survived either. Kids with cancer undergo painful surgeries, multiple tests and scans, endure chemotherapy and/or radiation, and miss out on so much of the enjoyment of just being a kid.

Even Hannah’s relatively minor experience caused her to miss weeks of school, her spring seasons of soccer and Girls on the Run – and rarely does a week go by where she doesn’t have to answer questions from people about the very visible scar that makes up her right knee. Although the scar is much improved over how it looked last summer, it’s always going to be there and she’ll have to field questions about it every time she wears shorts or a bathing suit. I love that she doesn’t feel embarrassed or sensitive about the scar – she is just plain ‘over’ everything that she went through and she’d rather answer questions than try to cover or hide her scar. But I worry that may change as she gets older, and especially once she hits the already-difficult teenage years.

Every time Hannah goes in for scans, I’m a nervous wreck. Actually, the worry is never completely out of my mind. The best prognosis for hemangiopericytomas is in kids less than a year old when diagnosed. These tumors are rare, but in kids older than a year they are known to spread, usually to lymph nodes and lungs. Thus, Hannah’s now twice-yearly scans… My dad was also diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma recently – his is not the same type that Hannah had (he has a rhabdomyosarcoma, almost always only found in kids under the age of 5 – he is 85, go figure…), but apparently rare tumors seem to run in my family? Not sure if they’re at all related, but it is strange. Thankfully his is not life-threatening either – but there’s a huge difference between cancer in an 85-year-old (who is looking at a maximum of 15 more years of life if he were to theoretically live to be 100 years old) and a 10-year-old (as Hannah was when her tumor was discovered), who has 90 more years to live to reach that same 100 year age. Why is pediatric cancer not more of a priority when it comes to funding for research and new treatments?

It will take effort and awareness on all of our parts to change those statistics I quoted above. Kids can’t vote or always advocate on their own behalf! Please help support childhood cancer awareness and spread the word that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Let’s make September as gold of a month for pediatric cancer awareness as October is pink for breast cancer awareness. Cancer can strike any kid, at any time. I began 2013 never having heard the word hemangiopericytoma, and now I’ve written it on so many hospital forms that I can spell it without having to even think twice. For the rest of her life, Hannah will be a cancer survivor.

Please, help spread the word and Go Gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness this month. For all of our kids – those who have already fought cancer, who are fighting right now and for those whose fight hasn’t even begun yet.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/go-gold-for-childhood-cancer-awareness/feed/0Refreshing Our Back-To-School Routine with Healthy Essentials #Moms4JNJConsumer #sponsoredhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/refreshing-our-back-to-school-routine-with-healthy-essentials-moms4jnjconsumer-sponsored/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/refreshing-our-back-to-school-routine-with-healthy-essentials-moms4jnjconsumer-sponsored/#respondFri, 05 Sep 2014 19:20:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12505This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.
Sending the kids off to school nowadays [...]

This post is part of the HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® 2014 program by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. and The Motherhood, who sent me a box of products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are all my own, and I hope you enjoy them.

Sending the kids off to school nowadays isn’t exactly the same for us as it was even a couple of years ago. With a teen and a tween in the house, so much has changed including the amount of time it takes for them to get ready in the morning. Both of my older girls take the early bus in the mornings now – Abbi is in middle school (8th grade, gasp) and Hannah’s 6th grade music classes (band and choir) take place during ‘Zero Hour’ which essentially adds an extra class hour onto the beginning of her elementary school day. Because they’re getting up (very!) early, they try to streamline everything they need to do in order to get themselves out the door, but there are just some things that can’t be skipped or missed.

Like deodorant, for example… Trying to get these girls to remember to use deodorant, each and every single day, is a much bigger task than I ever anticipated. I seem to remember being excited to be old enough to need to use it, so I don’t think I fought it all that much, but both Abbi and Hannah seem to need constant reminders. And when they forget… Ugh.

And then there’s the fact that both of their faces are starting to break out here and there. Thanks to Johnson & Johnson and The Motherhood, we received some very products that are going to help with that, but trying to get the girls to use them is about equivalent to trying to get a toddler to pick up his or her toys – lots of pushback and whining. It’ll probably take something like a major breakout to get them to see the importance – but I’m glad that we’re prepared when that day comes with Neutrogena® Oil Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit (a twice-daily cleanser that helps keep unseen acne from emerging) and Clean & Clear ® ADVANTAGE® Acne Spot Treatment, which clears existing pimples by reducing them in size, swelling and redness in only a few hours (and won’t over-dry skin).

The one thing that seems to take them the longest in the mornings? One word – hair. Or rather, it depends on the kid. Abbi has a short-ish haircut now that looks super cute and is very easy to manage. All she does is run a brush through her hair and arrange her bangs the way she wants, and she’s good to go in the mornings, easy-peasy. Hannah, on the other hand, has cultivated her long hair for several years now, and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), she has my hair texture – thick, wavy hair with a lot of curl and frizz. It takes her some time to brush through it all (even with detangler spray) and then she has to decide how to wear her hair that day and style it accordingly. Which takes forever.

I’m glad that we have a few years still before Becca will be taking the early bus with her sisters, because with only one bathroom for all of us, there’s already some *discussion* over who gets in there when in the mornings. I can only imagine what it’ll be like when all three of them need to get ready at once! Thankfully since I work at home, I can wait to shower and get ready after the girls are all gone for the day, when I have the bathroom to myself with peace and quiet to get my shower, and wash my face with my AVEENO® POSITIVELY RADIANT® Skin Brightening Daily Scrub (cleanses and exfoliates to improve skin tone, texture and clarity). I haven’t seen the need (yet) to try out the RoC® Deep Wrinkle Night Cream, but with three teen and pre-teen girls in the house, I have the feeling that day is coming – sooner than I would like.

Don’t miss out on some great savings! HEALTHY ESSENTIALS® offers amazing printable coupons, tips & tools and much more for all the products you and your family love. You can save more than $40 by visiting www.HealthyEssentials.com now and signing up for Healthy Essentials program coupons and offers.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/refreshing-our-back-to-school-routine-with-healthy-essentials-moms4jnjconsumer-sponsored/feed/0Kids Can Show Off Their Own Unique Styles this School Year with U-Laces #reviewhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-can-show-off-their-own-unique-styles-this-school-year-with-u-laces-review/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-can-show-off-their-own-unique-styles-this-school-year-with-u-laces-review/#respondThu, 28 Aug 2014 02:23:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12490The days of shoe-tying being a kindergarten right of passage were doomed as soon as the first velcro-fastened shoe hit the market. Heck, my 8-year-old didn’t learn to tie her shoes until just last year because it was simply easier for me to avoid the lace-ups and go with slip-on gym shoes. I’ve even had [...]

The days of shoe-tying being a kindergarten right of passage were doomed as soon as the first velcro-fastened shoe hit the market. Heck, my 8-year-old didn’t learn to tie her shoes until just last year because it was simply easier for me to avoid the lace-ups and go with slip-on gym shoes. I’ve even had teachers ask specifically for little kids not to come to school in laced-up shoes, because they often don’t know how to tie them well (or tightly) enough and the teachers just don’t have time to be tying 40 pairs of shoes every day. But it’s hard to avoid laces completely when shoes with them don’t seem to be going the way of the Betamax any time soon, and styles like Converse Kicks are more popular than ever. Even my older kids want shoes with laces, but then never untie and retie them, simply stretching the laced-up shoes over or off their feet every time, making it hard for the shoes to give the support and strength that they need.

Kids crave both conformity and individuality, which is a hard mix to achieve most times – but products like the new U-Laces give them a way to fit in the with crowd while still maintaining their own unique style. You may have seen U-Laces on the ABC show Shark Tank – I don’t catch many episodes, but did happen to see the one where this product was pitched, and I loved the idea right from the beginning.

It’s simple, really… U-Laces are short, elastic cords that fit through the shoe eyelets that the laces normally weave through and turn any pair of lace-up sneakers into slip-ons. They come in a variety of colors, so kids can mix and match to create their own patterns and designs. The U-Laces are made so that once poked through the eyelet, the end folds out and keeps the cord from slipping back through. There’s no end to the designs that can be created with color and lacing patterns – you create it, you lace it, U-Lace it!

Courtesy of ChicExecs PR, we received a variety of U-Lace packs to try out, much to the delight of my teen and tween. They’ve each have been wearing lace-up tennis shoes – really, once you get out of the toddler and ‘kid’ sizes, most tennis shoes are still lace-ups. We don’t own any Converse, but Abbi’s Reebok gym shoes and Hannah’s New Balance sneakers both work very well with the U-Laces. It does take a bit of effort to get the U-Laces poked all the way through the eyelets, but once you’ve got them in, you can be pretty confident that there’s no way they’re going to ever slip back out without some serious assistance.

The girls divvied up the colors of U-Laces and set to work deciding what designs to create. They picked very different patterns, which was fun to see. So far they’ve left their designs intact and haven’t changed the laces out, but I expect that once school starts again and they’re paying much closer attention to what they wear, we’ll start seeing some adjustments in their U-Laces. My youngest is begging me not to buy her lace-up shoes for school this fall (she hates that she can’t get them tight enough to keep from coming untied over and over), but I haven’t seen many other options out there in her size. I love that U-Laces give us many more options to turn laced sneakers into slip-ons for her, so we can pick out the style and fit that works best for her without having to worry about the type of fastening the shoes have.

I was curious as to whether the shoes would be tight enough on the girls’ feet without laces, but the different U-Lace lacing patterns allow for that. The more times the U-Laces twist over and through each other, the tighter the shoes will fit. So you can adjust to what works best just by changing the lacing pattern and design. Hannah has routinely joined my runs lately in her New Balances with U-Laces and says they’re plenty tight enough to run in – she’s even run a couple of 5Ks with her U-Laces in her shoes. The only downside I can really see to these is that, depending on the shoe, it can be difficult to get them back out through the eyelets when you want to change things up. Once I played with Abbi’s a bit (her original lacing pattern wasn’t tight enough, so we had to take them out and put back in), I got the knack of how to maneuver the lace and the eyelet to make it work without killing my fingertips. By the time she settled on her final design and we got both shoes laced, we both were pros.

U-Laces can be found online at http://www.u-lace.com – a pack of six U-Laces costs $3.49. Note that it takes 2 packs to lace a pair of sneakers, so they’re essentially $7 or so per pair. The more colors you buy, the more you can mix and match – there are 50 different colors to choose from, so you can either match your team or school colors, or go as wild and crazy as you want. Or go back and forth – it’s totally up to you. For more information you can follow U-Lace on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or check out their YouTube channel.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/kids-can-show-off-their-own-unique-styles-this-school-year-with-u-laces-review/feed/0Take kidecals Labels Back-to-School to Avoid the Lost-and-Found!http://www.momstakeonthings.com/take-kidecals-labels-back-to-school-to-avoid-the-lost-and-found/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/take-kidecals-labels-back-to-school-to-avoid-the-lost-and-found/#respondWed, 27 Aug 2014 01:08:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12470I’m a regular at our elementary school’s Lost-and-Found bins… Between my two kids who still attend there, I think I rummage through there just about every time I’m on school grounds – and I always find something that’s ours to rescue and bring home with us, whether a lost scarf, stray jacket or once even [...]

I’m a regular at our elementary school’s Lost-and-Found bins… Between my two kids who still attend there, I think I rummage through there just about every time I’m on school grounds – and I always find something that’s ours to rescue and bring home with us, whether a lost scarf, stray jacket or once even a single shoe. How does a kid make it home with only one shoe? I have no idea, but trust one of mine to figure it out.

Generally, I *think* most of our items eventually make their way back to us, but sometimes it takes days or even weeks for things to get to the Lost-and-Found, much less home. At one point several years ago, my oldest managed to lose every single one of her jackets and coats, leaving me no choice but to bundle her up in a sweater on a 40-degree morning and give her strict instructions to, “find one of your coats before you come home, no matter what!”. And last year, my (then) second grader came home without a lunchbox on more days than she returned with it in-hand.

Keeping my kids’ stuff clearly labeled with their names is therefore pretty much a necessity. And I usually take a permanent marker to everything, but over the years I’ve come to realize that 1) even permanent marker wears off over time and 2) unless the name really stands out, it’s not always seen in the 3 seconds that someone glances at a lunchbox or jacket before tossing it in the Lost-and-Found bins. We’ve had name labels for our older girls in the past, but I had run out of all labels for my youngest quite some time ago. Which is why I was thrilled when kidecals contacted me about trying out their versatile, personalized labels.

kidecals offers a wide variety of labels in various shapes, sizes, styles and packs, to meet whatever your needs are. When I went to pick out a design that my 8-year-old would like, I had so many to choose from that it was very hard to decide. I ended up going with round labels, because they tend to fit in smaller spaces, I’ve found – and I picked a nice bright design that really stands out.

The kidecals labels are said to be heat, cold and water resistant – which makes them stick through just about anything, including the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer. I know that we’ll be putting this to the test, as I’ve now stuck labels on all of Becca’s jackets, her backpack, each of her school supplies and yes, inside all of her shoes. We’ll be testing them out during our snowy Michigan winter in a few months too – I plan to label her winter coat, inside her boots, and all of her mittens and hats. Yes, she has several hats and pairs of mittens – I only hope that the bright kidecals labels will help them from getting lost as often as they did last year. I swear this kid would leave her head behind if it wasn’t attached to her body, lol!

One thing that I really like about kidecals’ labels is that you get two lines to personalize. For Becca’s labels, I went with her first name on the top line and my cell phone number on the second line, in much smaller type. I want to be able to use them to label her Nintendo DS, camera and other electronics too, so having a way to contact me if someone finds a lost item seemed like a great idea, even if it is somewhat overkill for say, a box of crayons or notebook. But I also like that the labels also can act as a reminder to Becca of what my cell phone number is – it’s not a number that she has memorized (she does know our home phone number). I made sure to stick the labels where they aren’t immediately visible (so they don’t advertise her name and contact information to anyone at a casual glance) but in a logical spot where someone picking up a stray backpack or coat would think to look.

Something kidecals offers that I haven’t seen elsewhere are their keyboard stickers. There is a crazy variety of options available – in everything from rainbow colors to stickers that form a bicycle design over your keyboard keys or even an American flag. Or some funky geometric shapes that I know my oldest daughter would go crazy over. They are removable, but only available for 13″ and 15″ Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air and bluetooth keyboards. So we PC users are out of luck – at least for now. If you have a compatible Mac, you can get a set of keyboard stickers from kidecals for $16.

A Mega set of kidecals labels (includes both 2” and 1” labels) costs $28 – if you don’t need as many (or don’t need the larger size), you can get an Everyday or Mini set for $21. They also have value packs of multiple sizes and shapes if you want a greater number or variety than the other packs offer. And, kidecals has some really great deals that you don’t commonly find around the web – their regular shipping is always free, no matter how much (or how little) you buy (USPS 2-5 day first class). And if you sign up for their newsletter, you get 15% off your next order. Our labels shipped and arrived quickly – in plenty of time for me to get almost everything Becca owns ready to go for school to start next week.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/take-kidecals-labels-back-to-school-to-avoid-the-lost-and-found/feed/0Staying organized for Back-to-School with VolunteerSpot! #sponsoredhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/back-to-school-with-volunteerspot-sponsored/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/back-to-school-with-volunteerspot-sponsored/#commentsMon, 25 Aug 2014 20:27:03 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12455This is a sponsored post on behalf of VolunteerSpot through TravelingMom. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% either my own or those of my family.
One week from tomorrow… That’s when my kids will get up, get dressed in clothes they’ve picked out weeks ago, and head off to the bus stop with backpacks [...]

This is a sponsored post on behalf of VolunteerSpot through TravelingMom. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% either my own or those of my family.

One week from tomorrow… That’s when my kids will get up, get dressed in clothes they’ve picked out weeks ago, and head off to the bus stop with backpacks and lunch boxes in hand and smiles on their faces.

Watching for the bus on her first day of middle school last year…

And I will rejoice.

School is a bittersweet time for me actually – I love having my days free to get work done, take care of the house, run errands, etc. But I do miss the girls after being able to spend so much time with them and do fun things together over the summer. This is the time of year when our lives get incredibly busy and we’re always rushing from here to there and everywhere. Some days I feel like all I do is travel – yet without ever leaving town. There may not be overnight stays involved (usually) – but my days are sometimes just as stressful to schedule as a true vacation would be. We are a one-vehicle family, so determining how to get everyone where they need to go, when they need to be there is often a very intricate, time-consuming task in itself.

My elementary school girls heading off to their first day last fall!

My favorite way to volunteer at my younger kids’ elementary school is to help out with the book fair a couple of times a year. I usually do multiple shifts and have to fit those into my already filled-up days. I love that our school uses VolunteerSpot’s free sign-up sheets for this and other activities – everything from the emails letting me know that spots are available to sign up for to the timely reminders when my shifts are coming up helps make my life easier and ensure that I don’t show up at the wrong time or even not at all. VolunteerSpot will even add my shifts right onto my online calendar once I’ve selected them. It’s such a useful tool for everything from school activities, sports teams, potlucks, carpooling, and I can see VolunteerSpot being incredibly helpful for organizing a family reunion, church event or even to manage folks bringing meals for a family that’s had a new baby, surgery or illness, without having to resort to long email chains where information gets lost in the shuffle.

Or even within just your own family, especially if your kids are older and online anyway… What an easy way to assign chores – or get everyone to help out with planning the next big family vacation. Definitely something I’m going to have to keep in mind!

Until then I’ll have to just get through the next few months of school, soccer and fall activity craziness, hopefully with my sanity intact.

Want an easy way to help out your school this fall? VolunteerSpot is giving away more than $20,000 in prizes with their “After School Cool” sweepstakes! Enter to win great prizes for you and your child’s afterschool group (such as a $500 AmEx card or $75 Cabot Creamery gift packs) and you’ll automatically be entered to win a $1,500 grand for your school too.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/back-to-school-with-volunteerspot-sponsored/feed/1Free Data For Life with TMobile Data Plan #TabletTrio #CollectiveBias #shophttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/free-data-for-life-with-tmobile-data-plan-tablettrio-collectivebias-shop/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/free-data-for-life-with-tmobile-data-plan-tablettrio-collectivebias-shop/#respondWed, 20 Aug 2014 19:08:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12445This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
It’s coming… The ‘dog days’ of summer are just about over for us, and school begins in just a couple of weeks. And while I’m thrilled about that in a lot of ways, my life is about to get [...]

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

It’s coming… The ‘dog days’ of summer are just about over for us, and school begins in just a couple of weeks. And while I’m thrilled about that in a lot of ways, my life is about to get a whole lot more hectic, very quickly. With all three girls playing soccer again this fall, we’ll have practices four evenings a week, plus three games every Saturday. Then there’s Lego League, youth group and who knows what else – I’m about to be spending a lot of time either driving or waiting around for various young people. Since I work from home, I do have some flexibility, but it’s nice to be able to spend at least some of that waiting time being productive. My phone is ok for quick email checks, but I hate the small screen for much beyond that. Bringing my laptop with me does no good since there’s no wi-fi on the soccer field, and I’ve never had a data plan on my iPad 2, since that would be out of our budget. This fall though, I have a not-so-secret weapon – my brand-new TMobile Trio AXS 7.85” 4G tablet, with the TMobile free 200mb data plan, thanks to #CollectiveBias.

Free Data for Life – don’t leave home without it!

The #TableTrio is going to help with my busy life in quite a few ways. I love the size – at 7.85” it’s larger than my iPhone and much simpler to use for navigating the web and typing emails, posts and status updates while on-the-go, but enough smaller than my bulky iPad 2 that it easily fits in my purse. It’s an Android tablet, which I’m familiar with since my husband’s and kids’ tablets are all Android-based, although there’s a slight learning curve for me since I’m so used to iOS. But the best part is definitely the Free Data for Life plan – knowing that I have up to 200MB of free data each month for the life of my tablet on T-Mobile’s advanced nationwide 4G network is huge for me and will let me keep up with all of my obligations – family, work and more – so much more easily.

The tablet shopping aisle at our local Walmart.

Purchasing the tablet was quick and easy at our local Walmart, and it was all set to go out of the box. I was surprised at how affordable the tablet is – only $179 for a 4G connected device, which was less than I paid for my iPhone two years ago. I was able to easily set up a new TMobile account and decline a paid data plan, which put me right on the Free Data for Life plan. When I hit the 200MB limit this month, the tablet will prompt me to purchase additional data – if I wish, or I can wait and the free plan will reset with another 200MB next month.

My youngest soccer player out on the field.

Along with the Free Data for Life plan, TMobile and Walmart have many flexible options for data plans to meet the needs of any user – whether you just want to be able to check email and weather, or want to stream movies or music to keep the kids occupied. Something I foresee that will come in very handy when I have to drag my youngest out to her sisters’ activities this school year! Or, as I’ve also recently discovered, it works very well to give my 11-year-old something to do while we’re stuck in line at a drive-thru as we’re grabbing a quick meal between practices.

Keeping Hannah occupied during a long drive-thru wait.

Even on the free plan, additional data can be purchased by the month, week or even by the day, which is so helpful if, say you hit your data limit right in the middle of something urgent. If you do want to upgrade to a paid data plan, they have plenty of options for those too. I love the flexibility that allows me to choose what I need – and can afford. I had tried to add a data plan to my iPad 2 just for our Florida trip in May but was unsuccessful. I only needed 4G access for a week, but would’ve had to pay a $36 activation fee and sign up for a 2-year contract on a regularly monthly plan that I couldn’t afford. The next time I travel, I’m looking forward to being able to purchase any data that I might need with no strings attached.

All of my essential apps are available right on the home screen.

I really do love the fall and the start of school – hectic or not, the girls are so excited to get back to their friends and a more structured routine. I am too – with the girls in school, I enjoy my quiet days to get work and household stuff done before the running around that starts when the bus drops the girls back off in the afternoons. I like that the girls are active and challenged physically, educationally and socially. And I really am going to love NOT having to say, “yes, I can do that – but not until I get home” when something comes up at 7:00 in the evening while I’m twiddling my thumbs waiting for soccer practice to be over.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/free-data-for-life-with-tmobile-data-plan-tablettrio-collectivebias-shop/feed/0One hundred miles #runninghttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/one-hundred-miles-running/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/one-hundred-miles-running/#respondWed, 20 Aug 2014 03:18:00 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12432Last week I hit a milestone in my running – according to the MapMyRun app, I’ve now run over 100 miles since I started running in mid-March. After my last run I’m sitting at 108 total miles.
I am blown away by the fact that I not only am STILL running after my original goal of [...]

Last week I hit a milestone in my running – according to the MapMyRun app, I’ve now run over 100 miles since I started running in mid-March. After my last run I’m sitting at 108 total miles.

I am blown away by the fact that I not only am STILL running after my original goal of just being able to survive the Girls on the Run 5K in May – but that I enjoy it as much as I do. Notwithstanding a couple of annoying muscle strains – those I definitely didn’t enjoy, but I didn’t let them stop me either.

I’ve learned a lot on my running journey so far. And I’ve had so much support – from friends, co-workers and my family. My fellow TravelingMom writers have shared advice, exercise and equipment suggestions, and even my first pair of ‘real’ running shoes. One of my closest friends, Kristi, started running last year and she has helped me work through injuries, shared training ideas and kept me motivated to keep at it. Now that my distances and running times have gotten a little closer to hers, we have started running together every couple of weeks and it’s amazing how much more fun it is to run with a friend. We barely notice the miles pass by underneath our feet, which has helped me achieve some milestones in the past couple of weeks – my longest stretch of running with no walk breaks (7 minutes!) and over the weekend, my longest distance run of 5.21 miles.

Me, Hannah and Kristi

One thing I love about running is that I’m modeling a more active lifestyle for my kids. Since March, I’ve run four 5K’s and I’m signed up for or planning to do three more before the end of the year. Hannah has run three of the 5K’s with me and is planning to run two of the additional ones coming up. And we’ve both committed to trying to complete a 10K next July. Hannah often joins me on my training runs now and gets disappointed if I end up running without her. Becca has come running with me once – she needs to build up some stamina before she can go on a longer run with me again, but next spring she’ll be old enough to start doing Girls on the Run and I look forward to running the GOTR 5K with her next spring. Abbi has no interest (right now) in running, but I’m working on that.

I love that running makes me feel STRONG, motivates me to PERSEVERE and keeps me more ACTIVE and FIT than I’ve been in the past 20+ years. I may still be overweight, but I’m working on that too. I don’t need to be a size 10 again (nor do I think that’s likely), but I’m thrilled to be out of the plus size section and back into regular sizes again. I was never really heavy until after I had kids – I’d like to just get back down to a more healthy weight and body shape. And that’s happening, little by little – now I just have to start eating healthier too and then I’ll start feeling a lot better about myself.

I am in love with my running shoes – a pair of purple New Balance ones that I was given by fellow TMOM, Desiree. I dread having to replace them someday, but will be happily looking for another pair of New Balance when that time comes. Other favorite accessories that I’m never without on my runs nowadays include my Philips ActionFit earbuds, my Catalyst waterproof iPhone case (no fear of rain or sprinklers now!), and the MapMyRun app. I’m slowly amassing a drawer full of running clothes – from sweat-wicking pants and 5K shirts to sports bras and headbands.

I’ve gone from savoring my ‘rest’ days to feeling restless and eager for my next run. I go out generally either every other day or every two days – it depends on my schedule and the weather. I’m looking forward to the cool autumn days when I’ll be able to run at any time of day, rather than early morning or late evening, but I am very much dreading trying to run outside in our West Michigan winter weather. In March, I began training at a local Y, running on the track – but my distances have increased so much that I just can’t imagine running the same track for an 8-lap mile over and over again. I suppose a lot will depend on how cold, wet and snowy of a winter we actually get and I’ll just have to wait and decide at the time.

Me, Hannah and her best friend Emma, who ran a 5K with us in July.

Out of the 5K’s that I’m signed up for right now, I think the one I’m looking forward to the most is the Ugly Sweater Run in November. Not only does it look like a blast, but it falls on Hannah’s birthday and she is planning to run it with me and Kristi. I’m debating whether I want to attempt to knit an ‘ugly’ sweater to wear, but I’m not sure I want to invest the time or yarn into it, so we’ll see. Maybe I’ll make some ‘ugly’ mittens instead.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/one-hundred-miles-running/feed/0Review: Catalyst #Waterproof iPhone case #CatalystLifestyle #CatalystCasehttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/review-catalyst-waterproof-iphone-case-catalystlifestyle-catalystcase/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/review-catalyst-waterproof-iphone-case-catalystlifestyle-catalystcase/#respondSun, 17 Aug 2014 22:53:40 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12420I received a waterproof iPhone 5 case from Catalyst to try out and review, along with a bike mount, floating lanyard and tablet sleeve. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% either my own or those of my family.
I tend to be a bit paranoid when it comes to electronics. Not without cause – [...]

I received a waterproof iPhone 5 case from Catalyst to try out and review, along with a bike mount, floating lanyard and tablet sleeve. As always, all opinions stated here are 100% either my own or those of my family.

I tend to be a bit paranoid when it comes to electronics. Not without cause – there was the time I accidentally dropped an almost brand-new camera in the sand at the playground several years ago and dented the battery compartment and lens cover (neither of which ever worked correctly afterward), and I completely killed a different point-and-shoot camera (one of my favorite Canons) when it slipped out of my hands and fell just a foot or so onto our kitchen linoleum. Then there are the stories, of course, of folks who have dropped their phones in the toilet accidentally, or had it fall out of a pocket, shattering the screen… It only takes a quick moment to turn a valuable piece of equipment into a very expensive paperweight.

Paranoia aside, I have been careful (and fortunate) enough to not ever damage any of my iPhones (so far!) – although part of that has to do with the fact that I am very selective when it comes to phone cases, and my phone is always kept in the case. My iPhone goes with me just about everywhere – from the grocery store to the beach and everywhere in between. It gets passed back and forth from me to my kids, tossed in my purse or shoved in a pocket. Up until now my cases have been selected for how well they protect against drops, but that’s left enough other options for possible damage – especially potential water damage – that I’ve always had that paranoia creeping in at the back of my mind. But the waterproof cases that I’d seen were all big, bulky and not something that I would even consider using on a day-to-day basis.

Then I was introduced to the Catalyst waterproof iPhone case – and my iPhone has barely been out of this case since. Catalyst sent me an iPhone 5 case to try out, along with some accessories and also one of their waterproof tablet sleeves. Not only is their iPhone case waterproof to 5 meters (16.4 ft – deeper than any other everyday iPhone case on the market) but it is also impact-proof from 2 meters (6.6 ft). As I am only 5.2 feet tall, it’s unlikely that my phone would ever get dropped from anywhere close to 2 meters high, so that’s helping my paranoia quite a bit. Since the case is waterproof, it’s therefore also sand and dust proof (when all openings are plugged), so I feel much more comfortable taking my phone to the beach. Even running with it is much less stressful since I no longer have to worry about stray rainstorms or sprinklers getting my phone wet. Come wintertime, I’m going to be all, “bring on the snow and slush!”. This case can take it, which means that my phone can too.

Catalyst’s waterproof cases are available for the iPhone 4/4S and iPhone 5/5S in four color options (Alpine White, Stealth Black, Radiant Orchid and Pacific Blue). I’ve always had purple cases for my phone – for some reason purple has always appealed to me because it’s feminine, but not overly girly like pink, so I was disappointed to see that there was no purple option for a Catalyst case. I have to say that my Radiant Orchid case has completely grown on me though! The color is just around the edges of the phone, like a bumper case – both the front and back portions are clear. The case is very slim-fitting – it adds hardly any more bulk to my phone than my non-waterproof case did, and my phone still fits easily in my hand, purse or pocket with no trouble at all. Having this case means that I don’t need a separate screen protection film like I’d always used before, which is nice because no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up with bubbles in the film, which was very annoying. I do have to press slightly harder than I did before on the touchscreen at times (not all the time), but that was more a matter of retraining my fingers to give it just slightly more pressure. I have had no problems playing games, drawing or using any of the apps on my phone. And my photos have been just as clear and sharp as they were without the case’s hard-coated optical lens.

Access to all buttons and ports is available when my phone is in the Catalyst case, although the bottom ports (microphone and charging) are covered by a rubber gasket-like part that you can either close or pull open. Obviously you’re not going to be using those ports if the phone is submerged anyway, but you’ll want to make sure to keep that portion of your phone either closed or covered in a rainstorm (the company does also sell an audio adapter that is made to fit exactly into the audio port in their new iPhone cases, but note that the website says it is not intended for continuous underwater use). I just make sure to securely fasten the rubber gasket into both ports whenever I don’t need access to them, and whenever my phone does not need to ventilate. That was one concern I had, with an otherwise water (and air) tight case, how do you keep it from overheating? Keeping those bottom ports uncovered lets the phone ventilate and stay cool, so I leave them open for a good portion of the day, as long as I’m not going to be near water.

Just to be on the safe side – and to avoid possibly damaging my expensive iPhone 5, I tested the case before putting my phone in it, by sealing a dry tissue in the case (along with some pennies to add weight) and submerging it in a bowl of water for a couple of hours. The tissue was completely dry when I opened the case up afterward, so I was comfortable with putting my phone in the case. I have to admit that my paranoia still kicks in a bit – it’s hard to deliberately put my phone in the water, even though I know that it’s safe! I have to keep reminding myself that it’s going to be just fine. And so far of course, it has been. My phone has gone with me to the beach, to our neighbor’s pool several times and to a large local aquatic center. I’ve used it to take photos and videos underwater, and it’s fun to be able to share them right on Instagram without even getting out of the pool. Catalyst says that this is, “the only case you’ll ever need” – and at least for me, that’s definitely true.

Catalyst also sent a bike mount and floating lanyard to go with their waterproof case. I had the chance to go mountain biking on a recent trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, so I brought my bike mount along. Now, while mountain biking is apparently not my thing, the bike mount made it easy to take my phone along on the ‘practice’ run we rode through Copper Harbor. The bike mount was easy to install and to remove when I was done. You definitely want to use the little wrench that comes with it to get it as tight as possible – I should have tightened mine more and it started coming loose as I was snapping my phone out of the mount to take some pictures. I fastened it more securely afterward and had no more trouble with it at all. I could even take pictures and video while I was riding for a first-person look at my not-so-very-impressive biking.

My very favorite thing about the Catalyst waterproof case, hands-down, is such a simple little thing – there’s a spot on the bottom right corner of the case where you can fasten a wrist strap or lanyard. I pulled an old wrist strap off of one of my cameras that no longer works, and I can’t imagine how I’d gotten along without it before just in my day-to-day activities. Being able to hang my phone from my wrist when I need to use my hands and don’t have a pocket handy is wonderful. I use the strap to fish my phone out of my pocket or purse, and when I took my phone kayaking on my UP trip, I fastened the wrist strap to my life jacket so that my phone was secure just in case it got dropped. Dropping my phone in a pool or shallow beach swimming area is one thing. Dropping it into the depths of Lake Superior wasn’t something I was going to take a chance on! Catalyst does make a floating lanyard, which I do also have (it’s great for keeping the phone from becoming a diving toy for the kids, lol), but it’s too bulky for everyday use.

The last item that Catalyst sent for me to try was one of their waterproof sleeves. There are three sizes available, to fit devices from a 7” tablet all the way up to a 15” laptop. I have the middle size, which holds a 9” to 11” tablet or a small laptop. It also, as I can attest to, easily holds multiple small items at once, like a wallet, point-and-shoot camera, notebook and pen, extra iPhone battery charger and more. I used it while on my UP trip as my on-the-go bag and it did a great job. The sleeve comes with a removable EVA foam pocket to protect electronics, and two straps that can be fastened in various ways – I’ve used it mostly as a backpack, which was perfect for all of my UP adventures as well as a trip to a small local beach with my kids. My iPad 2 fits perfectly into the sleeve and I can add my wallet and camera in there too. The sleeve has a velcro fastening along with a double-lock water closure. I used it as my ‘dry bag’ when kayaking and everything inside stayed completely dry.

My only complaint about my Catalyst iPhone case isn’t really a complaint but more of a suggestion. Catalyst makes a belt clip for their case, but I would so love to see an armband option for it too. My iPhone won’t fit in my current armband when it has any case at all on it, which is similar to most of the armband options I’ve seen out there. I don’t like taking my phone out of the Catalyst case unless I really have to (plus my armband isn’t waterproof), so lately I’ve taken to running while just holding my phone in-hand (using the wrist strap in case it slips out of my grasp), so my phone stays waterproof (and sweatproof, lol) in case of rain or when running near (or through) sprinklers. I’d be first in line to purchase a Catalyst armband that the case could snap onto for running, so I hope they consider adding that item to their product lineup.

You can find out more about Catalyst’s waterproof iPhone cases at http://www.catalystlifestyle.com. The cases cost $64.99, and the tablet sleeves range in price from $39.99 for the smallest to $54.99 for the largest. Considering what the electronics themselves cost, I think it’s really a small price to pay for the peace of mind you get by knowing your device is protected against just about anything life can throw at it. I’ve paid close to that much just for a non-waterproof case + screen protector. For more information, you can follow Catalyst on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/review-catalyst-waterproof-iphone-case-catalystlifestyle-catalystcase/feed/0Reminiscences of a soccer mom…http://www.momstakeonthings.com/reminiscences-of-a-soccer-mom/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/reminiscences-of-a-soccer-mom/#respondTue, 12 Aug 2014 02:50:04 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12384I never truly thought much about it back when Abbi was four years old. “Let’s sign her up for soccer!” I suggested to my husband. I don’t exactly remember why, although I’m sure it had something to do with wanting to help work out all the energy she had, get her into some kind of [...]

I never truly thought much about it back when Abbi was four years old. “Let’s sign her up for soccer!” I suggested to my husband. I don’t exactly remember why, although I’m sure it had something to do with wanting to help work out all the energy she had, get her into some kind of activity or sport to help her make friends and since I’d played soccer as a kid and enjoyed it, it just seemed right.

I laughed about becoming a ‘soccer mom’, but the stereotype didn’t bother me at all. And it still doesn’t even now, after 3 soccer-playing kids and season upon season of sitting on the sidelines to cheer on my kids’ teams whether in sun, heat, wind, rain or yes, even snow, My kids enjoy playing. And I love that they enjoy it. Enough so that I’ve volunteered for our local AYSO region for the past several years as well to help give back.

It’s strange for me to realize that this coming fall will be Abbi’s last AYSO season. Our region only fields teams up through the U14 level and the girls only play in the fall – so that they are freed up to play for the middle school team in the spring if they want to. Abbi played her first U14 season last fall, then tried middle school soccer for exactly one practice before deciding it wasn’t for her. She wants to play her last AYSO season though – although she loves playing the games, she’s more of what I call a ‘fair weather’ soccer player and doesn’t want to have to put all of the (hard work of) drills and such into it. That’s the joy of AYSO soccer though – it’s for anyone and everyone.

Not that I won’t still be a soccer mom after Abbi ages out of AYSO – Hannah still has two seasons of U14 play ahead of her after her last season of U12 this year, and I know that she will joyfully jump at the chance to play for the middle school team in the springs when the time comes. That child would play soccer 24/7 if it were any kind of a possibility – she loves the game so much, and unlike her sister, she doesn’t mind putting hard work and sweat into it. She may not be the absolutely best player out on the field, but she wants to be and has the drive to get there.

Becca, well she is more the ‘fair weather’ type, like Abbi. But she also loves to play just as much as her sisters do, so I anticipate many future seasons of watching her games too. Her favorite position is goal keeper, which has me tied in knots of nervousness every time, but she’s a pretty good little goalie so far.

One thing I won’t miss? Running around trying to get to three soccer games every Saturday, especially if more than one of the girls happens to be playing at the same time at different locations. We are a one-vehicle family, so soccer season Saturdays have presented some interesting challenges in the past and I’m sure we’ll have our share of them this fall too.

But that’s ok. I’m going to enjoy every moment of Abbi’s last 6 soccer games, as I remember that little cherub-cheeked 4-year-old running around chasing a soccer ball during her very first season – almost 10 years ago now – and think of the beautiful young woman she’s become.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/reminiscences-of-a-soccer-mom/feed/0Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxyhttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/movie-review-guardians-of-the-galaxy/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/movie-review-guardians-of-the-galaxy/#respondFri, 08 Aug 2014 14:52:32 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12366My daughter and I attended an advanced screening of this film for free, but as always all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family. Before reading on, please be aware that this review contains mild spoilers.
Back during the winter, I truly wondered how my oldest daughter, Abbi, was going to [...]

My daughter and I attended an advanced screening of this film for free, but as always all opinions stated here are 100% my own or those of my family. Before reading on, please be aware that this review contains mild spoilers.

Back during the winter, I truly wondered how my oldest daughter, Abbi, was going to survive a summer without new episodes of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to look forward to and watch every week (or every few weeks). Well, she’s done well so far – it helps that she is old enough to be on Facebook now (with a lot of privacy settings and limits) so she can follow the latest Marvel news as things are announced. And she had something to peak her interest during the summer as well – the new Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy, which just came out on Friday. Abbi and I had the opportunity to attend a screening of the movie a couple of days earlier, which was a really fun mother-daughter outing for us.

Guardians of the Galaxy does not involve any of the Marvel superheroes that have been part of the Avengers films – no Ironman, Captain America, Hulk or Thor. Instead, the movie takes place almost entirely off of Earth and is based on a superhero team that’s appeared in Marvel comics but not previously in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The ensemble cast includes the Guardians: Chris Pratt as Peter Quill (Star-Lord), Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Vin Diesel as Groot, and Bradley Cooper as Rocket, who are trying to stop Ronin the Accuser (Lee Pace) from destroying the world of Xandar with an all-powerful orb that he has promised to retrieve for Thanos (Josh Brolin). Working with Ronin are Thanos’ daughter Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Korath (Djimon Hounsou). Other cast members include Michael Rooker as Yondu, a blue-skinned guy who leads a group called the Ravagers, Benicio del Toro as The Collector, who is also in search of the orb, and Glenn Close as Nova Prime, the leader of the Nova Corps.

Neither Abbi or I were at all familiar with the Guardians of the Galaxy characters, storylines or mythology (outside of watching a few trailers) before seeing the movie, so I was curious to see if we would be able to follow the plot without understanding all of the background. The film starts off with the backstory of Peter Quill, who is abducted by aliens from Earth right after his mother dies of cancer. We don’t see what happens afterward, although we can guess from some of the later dialogue that he was raised by the band of Ravagers (led by Yondu) who took him. The movie picks up 26 years later with an adult Peter in the midst of his search for the orb. We do find out more details about the orb later on, and why everyone wants it so badly – but I do admit to some curiosity about how Peter and Ronin knew where the orb was located to begin with and why nobody else had tried to take it previously (or what happened if they did). Not having those details really didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the movie at all though – the movie starts off as action-packed and doesn’t really let down at all right though the end.

We see how this unlikely group meets and bands together to form friendships – you definitely wouldn’t necessarily expect a human, a green-skinned alien female, a talking raccoon, a tattooed warrior and a plant-based, tree-like something to have much in common, but the way that the group forms is explained well and is logical. There’s a lot of humor in the characters and story, which really helps to balance all of the action sequences – that’s what made the film really enjoyable to me. I love watching Abbi watch shows or movies that she’s really into – she gets so emotional right along with the characters and has a hard time suppressing her excitement or angst. She does tend to be a bit loud (ok, maybe a more than a bit), so I kept having to shush her during this movie because there were a lot of nail-biting or ‘aha!’ types of moments, but it was obvious all the way through that she was loving every minute of it. Afterward, she immediately announced that this is now her ‘third favorite’ movie – right after Captain America: Winter Soldier and The Avengers. That’s high praise right there, lol. I asked Abbi to write a short review, so here’s what my 13-year-old had to say about Guardians of the Galaxy:

Amazing movie. It was funny, it was action-filled, it was entertaining, much more than I, personally had actually expected! I had had my doubts about it before seeing it but the phrase “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” (or in this case, movie) definitely is correct when it comes to this movie. I’m very glad I got the chance to see it.

Normally this is the kind of movie that my husband would have taken Abbi to see, and she’s already planning to see it again with him, probably for his birthday in a couple of weeks. I wouldn’t mind tagging along to see it again too, although it’s not something that my younger daughters are interested in seeing. It’s rated PG-13 anyway, so it’s definitely not something that we would take Becca to, even if she wanted to see it right now. Hannah hasn’t really been interested in the Marvel stuff all that much, although she’s expressed interest in catching up on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. before the new season begins, and I think she would actually really like Guardians of the Galaxy, so I think I’ll try to talk her into seeing it with us when Abbi and I take Ron.

The screening that Abbi and I went to was in 3D, but I expect that we’ll see it in 2D when we go again to save on ticket costs. I thought that the 3D really showed off the special effects well, especially the space scenes, so I’m curious as to whether I notice a big difference with the 2D version. I really would recommend seeing Guardians of the Galaxy in 3D if possible – and that’s not something I’ve felt strongly about with other movies I’ve seen 3D versions of in the past. This was my first live-action 3D movie though – the others I’ve seen were all animated features.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie – although it did make me curious about more of the backstory involved in this particular universe, especially as relating to Ronin, Thanos and the Nova Corps. It wasn’t completely clear to me why Ronin was so feared by everyone (we do learn that he killed Drax’s family, so his enmity toward Ronin made sense), but I wasn’t totally understanding the feud between Ronin and the Nova Corp/Xandarians, or where Thanos came in to all of that. I assume that a lot more of the mythology has been explained in the comics – since I’m not a fan of comic books, I took to Wikipedia to bring myself a little more up-to-speed. While you don’t NEED all of the background to enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy by any means, I think it does help to have a little familiarity. I am interested in finding out if there are any books that involve the Guardians of the Galaxy – while comics aren’t my thing, books certainly are. And the movie definitely whetted my interest in learning more about this universe and those who inhabit it.

Which was probably the intent of the filmmakers, because of course I then become very interested in seeing what happens to these characters in the future and since Guardians of the Galaxy 2 has already been announced (coming in 2017), I expect that Abbi and I will be in line right away for that one too.

]]>http://www.momstakeonthings.com/movie-review-guardians-of-the-galaxy/feed/0Gearing up for Back to School with #WalgreensPaperless Coupons #shophttp://www.momstakeonthings.com/back-to-school-with-walgreens-paperless-coupons-shop/
http://www.momstakeonthings.com/back-to-school-with-walgreens-paperless-coupons-shop/#respondMon, 04 Aug 2014 19:20:02 +0000http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=12357This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
Four weeks – that’s how long I have until my kids head back into the schoolroom. And while that seems like a lot of time to enjoy (or get through) yet, this summer, like usual, has zoomed by in [...]

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Four weeks – that’s how long I have until my kids head back into the schoolroom. And while that seems like a lot of time to enjoy (or get through) yet, this summer, like usual, has zoomed by in a quick blink of an eye. Or at least so it seems. And before I know it, I’ll be dragging my kids out of bed at what seems like an unheard-of hour right now and making them pose for those all-important ‘First Day of School’ pictures. There’s really NOT that much time left, especially to make sure that they have everything they need. School supplies can really add up quickly too – which is why I make sure to check my Walgreens app every week and clip their paperless coupons so that I’m ready to save as much as I can.

This year, for the first time, our elementary school sent out letters right after school ended to tell the kids who their new teachers would be – and the letters thankfully included a suggested supply list. In the past, class lists weren’t posted until mid-August and the only way we got supply lists were if the new teachers happened to send out welcome letters to the kids afterward. We are fortunate that our school provides much of what the kids need, but there are always additional items to buy and knowing ahead of time what to look for allows us to (finally!) be able to take advantage of back-to-school sales and deals without having to guess or wait until the aisles are all picked over. Yes, this year my kids are prepared – already!

One of my usual go-to stops for school supplies is Walgreens and this year has been no exception. I shop at Walgreens a lot year-round because 1) we have one very close to home so it’s the most convenient option for all of those quick runs to the store, 2) it’s where we fill all of our prescriptions and 3) they have a great balance rewards program and a lot of coupons are offered every week as well. And I love the Walgreens Paperless coupons because having to remember to clip and keep paper coupons with me isn’t always easy, especially since I tend to run into Walgreens with just my wallet, not my whole (large) purse where I normally keep paper coupons tucked away.

Now it’s so much easier – I can simply scroll through the available #WalgreensPaperless coupons whenever I get a chance and clip the ones I want to use right in my Walgreens app. The app is synced to my Balance Rewards account because I love that I can open the app to have the cashier scan my rewards card right from my phone, which I ALWAYS have with me, so I don’t have to carry the physical card with me. And with my iPhone, I can keep my Walgreens Balance Rewards card in my Passbook so that it knows when I’m in or near a Walgreens and will automatically pop up (even on my locked screen) to make it even easier to open the card to scan it. Once my card is scanned (you can also do a lookup by phone number if you don’t have your card with you), then my clipped coupons automatically get applied to whatever I’m buying. I don’t have to hold up the line while I dig for paper coupons and try to figure out which ones match the items I’m getting. Not that I’ve ever had people waiting behind me in line glaring at me while I do that, of course…

A few days ago, I arrived at our local Walgreens with all three girls in tow so that they could browse through the school supplies and pick out what they needed. It was the first time that we’ve shopped early enough for Back-to-School supplies where the seasonal aisle was still half filled with summer clearance items! But there was plenty out and available for the kids to choose from – and I had made sure to clip the available paperless coupons for Wexford school supplies beforehand, so we knew exactly what to look for. Thanks to #CollectiveBias, we had some specific funds to spend on supplies, and my kids easily spent that and a little more. They take after me – I always loved the feeling of buying brand-new pencils, markers, crayons, notebooks, etc. for school. I still love it actually – in fact I may have had a few items (cough) fall into the cart for myself as well.

Abbi hasn’t gotten her supply list yet, but as an eighth grader, she has a good idea of what she needs – notebooks and folders for each class, plenty of pens, plus she stocked up on highlighters and little self-stick paper tab thing to mark book pages. Hannah’s list for sixth grade specifically mentioned to bring LOTS of pencils so we grabbed several of the 8-packs for 39 cents each, for both her and Becca (who had lost plenty of pencils last year in second grade). Each of the girls also picked out a new pair of 5-inch scissors – Abbi and Hannah like the smaller ones that they can easily store in a pencil box or case and for only 49 cents each after the paperless coupon, we could certainly afford them.

Along with the paperless coupons I’d clipped, there were plenty of other school supplies on sale, so we got almost everything the girls need just in this one visit. Hannah was thrilled to see supplies decorated with woodland creatures – she loves animals. While owls have been one of her favorite themes lately, she is expanding to all woodland critters this year, so happily picked out folders and notebooks with foxes and hedgehogs on them.

Of course we had to check out the summer clearance items that shared an aisle with the back-to-school stuff… And since we were saving so much money ($24.34 total!) between sales and the paperless coupons, I was able to let the girls each pick out something fun to bring home too – we do have four weeks of summer to get through yet, after all! Hannah and Becca got an early start on playing with their rubber balls before we left the store – oops!

When we got home, we took a few minutes to sort through the supplies and divvy out everything. The girls were excited to get the small stuff put away into pencil boxes and then fill the backpacks that are already hanging by the back door, ready to be grabbed and carried out to the bus stop when the time comes. They love summer vacation of course, but by this time of year they’re getting bored with being home all day every day and are more than ready to be back into a routine. I’m thrilled when school begins every year too – not only do I get my uninterrupted work days back, but I know the girls are happy to be seeing their friends and filling their minds with new and exciting things to learn.

These were the girls on their first day of school last year – I can’t wait to take this year’s photos in a few weeks and see just how much they’ve grown!